


Trading Places

by pandasfandomstories



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Chicago Blackhawks, F/M, Gen, Hockey, Trades, friendships, relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-05-23 05:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6106225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandasfandomstories/pseuds/pandasfandomstories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amanda Roberts is your typical twenty-two year old living in Chicago, who absolutely loves hockey. Her favorite team is the Chicago Blackhawks, and her favorite player is Patrick Sharp. When she gets the chance to meet Patrick at her favorite bar, they hit it off quite nicely. They get closer and closer until Patrick finds out he's being traded to Dallas. </p><p>While they keep in touch, Amanda gets closer with Andrew, who helps her through the trade. Things go pretty well for them, but just as things are about to get to the next level, Patrick returns.</p><p> (This is a silly summary, but I don't want to give too much away!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in an AU where Patrick, Andrew, and Jonathan are all single for the sake of ease. It also takes place before the trade last year.

 

  The alarm went off on Amanda’s phone as she jumped awake. She rubbed her face, sitting up and reaching over to her bedside table to get her phone. She put in the code and turned the alarm off, yawning. Just as she was about to open her messages, her friend Nicole’s face popped up on the screen in an incoming call.

“Hello?” Amanda answered.

“Hey so what’s the plan for tonight?” Nicole asked. Her voice sounded slightly less tired than Amanda’s did.

“Well I was thinking we could get a bite to eat at Mike’s.” Amanda suggested. Mike’s was a local sports bar that the girls loved to go to for hockey games. There wasn’t a game on tonight, but they had some really good food and a fun atmosphere.

“That sounds like a plan to me. Maybe we can finally find some eligible bachelors.” Nicole joked.

Amanda smirked, rolling her eyes. “Oh, I’m sure.” She joked back. “Can you pick me up or do you want me to drive?” she asked.

“I can pick you up. I’ll be there around five.” Nicole said.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you later.” Amanda said, saying her goodbye and hanging up.

 After she hung up the phone, Amanda stood up and stretched properly. She went down stairs to make herself some breakfast and check her social media. There wasn’t much going on, so it didn’t take long for her to check everything. When she finished her breakfast, she headed upstairs to shower and figure out what to do until five that evening. She decided that she would work on some of her sketches while catching up on her favorite shows.

 When it was about four-thirty, Amanda decided to start getting ready. She got on a pair of grey straight-leg jeans, and a white tank top. She put on a red, white and black flannel and buttoned it almost to the top, letting the tank top peek out. After she laced up her boots, she put on her Blackhawks beanie and grabbed her black leather jacket. She headed downstairs to wait for Nicole’s text. Just as she sat down on the couch, her phone buzzed.

          _‘Hey, I’m outside. –Nicole.’_

 Amanda got her keys and headed outside. She walked down the driveway to Nicole’s SUV. She climbed in and buckled her seat belt.

           “Hey you look cute.” Nicole smiled. “You’re ready for some bachelor hunting.” she joked.

           Amanda shook her head and smiled. “This isn’t cute, this is pretty casual.” She joked back. “Let’s get over there.” She said.

 Nicole drove downtown to Mike’s and parked in the small lot behind the building. Amanda got out of the car with Nicole and headed down the alley to the front door. As they walked, they already started thinking about what they were going to order. They loved the food at Mike’s because it wasn’t typical bar food. It felt like you were actually eating at a restaurant but getting bar prices. They walked inside and looked around to find a table or a booth to sit at, but they had no luck. Amanda saw two open stools at the end of the bar, so she nudged Nicole’s arm and pointed towards the stools. Nicole followed her over and hopped onto one of the stools, setting her bag on the hook in front of her knees. Amanda sat on the other empty stool and set her phone on the bar in front of her. She looked around and saw quite a crowd for a non-game night. The bartender Evan walked over to greet the girls.

           “Good evening ladies. What can I get you two to drink?” he asked.

           Nicole smiled, waving to Evan. “I’ll have a Corona with lime please.” She said. Nicole didn’t look it, but she could definitely handle her alcohol.

           “You got it, and what about you?” Evan asked, pointing to Amanda.

           “Um, I’ll just take a lemon water please.” She said politely.

           “My pleasure.” He said and got the girls their drinks. He cracked open the Corona for Nicole and handed it to her with a small plate of three lime slices on it, and set a glass of ice water in front of Amanda with a lemon wedge on the side.

           “It’s pretty crazy in here for no game.” Amanda noted, sipping her water.

           Evan nodded to her. “Well there’s a pretty big group of guys who are here for a celebration of some sort, and there’s also a bachelorette party.”

           “Oh that should be fun.” Nicole said sarcastically. “Can we get a couple of menus, please?” she asked.

           “You got it. If you guys see a table open up, head over and I’ll bring your stuff over to you. If not, just stay up here, I like the company.” Evan smirked, giving the girls a wink. He handed them each a menu and headed down the bar to help some other patrons.

           Amanda looked at the menu and then at Nicole. “Hey, how come you’ve never asked Evan out?” she asked.

           Nicole looked at Amanda, then at Evan, then at Amanda again. “He’s more of a friend. What about you? He seems to smile at you a lot.” She teased, smirking.

           Amanda felt her cheeks blush, and she was thankful for the dim bar lighting. “He’s sweet, but like you said, he’s just a friend.” She said looking at her menu.

           Nicole decided on the bleu cheese burger and set her menu down on the bar. “That guy down the bar is pretty cute.” She noted.

           Amanda opted for the chicken Caesar salad and closed her menu, to look down the bar at the guy Nicole was talking about. “Who?” she asked not seeing a guy.

           Nicole looked over and frowned. “He moved. Take my word though, he was cute; Killer blue eyes and messy brown hair.” Nicole said.

           “Sounds pretty cute.” Amanda noted.

 Evan walked over and took the girls’ orders before taking the menus back down the bar and putting the orders in. He refilled Amanda’s glass and headed down the bar to check on everyone else. Amanda looked around the bar and saw a group of guys at a bigger table. She looked at all of them to see if any of them might catch the interested of Nicole. When she got to a dark haired, blue eyed man, her eyes locked on him. His eyes were a beautiful blue, and his hair was clean but still looked messy. He had a dusting of five o’clock shadow that perfectly accented his strong jawline. While she was in the middle admiring him, her eyes met his. He gave her a kind smile, causing her to abruptly realize who she was smiling back at.

           She turned in her stool and looked at the bar, putting a death grip on Nicole’s forearm. “Patrick Sharp is at that table.” Amanda managed to whisper.

           Nicole looked over and peeled Amanda’s hand off of her arm. “What?”

           Amanda took a breath and looked at Nicole. “The cute blue eyed guy you saw is Patrick Sharp and he just smiled at me.” She said.

           Nicole’s eyes widened and she waited a moment before trying to casually “survey the room” to see if Amanda was telling the truth. She saw Patrick and looked over at Amanda. “He’s really here.” She said excitedly. Nicole knew that Patrick was Amanda’s favorite player, and she nudged her arm excitedly. “He’s really here. Go talk to him.” She said.

           Amanda shook her head quickly. “No, I’m not going to interrupt his dinner with friends to fangirl over him.” She said, her eyes going to the table and then going right back to Nicole in an instant. “He’s walking over here.” She said softly and took a big gulp of her water to try and look like she wasn’t staring.

           Patrick walked up to the bar and waved to Evan. He stood next to Nicole and looked over at her and Amanda, giving them each a warm smile.

           Amanda smiled back at him and looked at Evan who was walking over.

           “What can I get you?” he asked Patrick.

           “Can we get an order of hot wings?” he asked politely.

           Nicole looked up at him and smiled. “They have the best wings here.” She said.

           Patrick looked over at her and smiled. “I’ve only had the honey barbecue ones here, but my buddy insists we try the hot ones.”

           Evan smiled and put the order in. “I’ll bring the order over when it’s up.”

           Patrick nodded to Evan and Nicole smiled. “They’re spicy but they’re still amazing.”

           Patrick smiled and nodded. “Well I look forward to them then.” He said and looked at Amanda who gave a polite smile. “What about you? Are you a fan of hot wings?”

           Amanda couldn’t believe what was happening. She was discussing hot wings with her favorite hockey player. “It depends on the amount I suppose.” She managed to get out without sounding too nervous.

           He nodded, smiling to her. Evan brought the girls their plates, earning thank-yous from the girls. Patrick smiled and looked at Amanda, “I’ll let you two get to your dinner. I’ll take your word on the wings though.” He said, winking at Nicole.

           Nicole smiled and nodded.

           Amanda smiled up at him and nodded. “Enjoy your food.” She said.

           “You too,” Patrick said, “and I love your hat.” He said, giving a big grin to Amanda before walking back to his table.

           Amanda’s cheeks heated up as they turned red. “Oh my God.” She said, bringing her hand to her face. “I sat there like an idiot talking to Patrick Sharp while wearing his team’s hat.” She mumbled against her palm.

           Nicole smiled, taking a bite of her burger. “Yeah, but he liked it. Take a breath and do what the man said; enjoy your food.” She teased.

           Amanda shook her head, smiling softly, before starting on her salad.

 The two girls ate and talked, letting Evan join in on the conversations when he could. By the time they had finished their food, the bar was starting to clear out. Evan came over to take their empty plates away before wiping down some of the now empty tables. Amanda hadn’t looked over at Patrick’s table the whole time, so when she looked over and saw the table empty, she felt a little bummed. She looked back at the bar and got her wallet out to pay for her food.

           Nicole put her hand on Amanda’s. “Hey, I got it this time.” She said.

           “Are you sure? Let me at least get the tip.” Amanda said.

           “Alright if it’ll make you feel better.” Nicole joked.

           Amanda got enough cash out to cover a tip for Evan, and put her wallet in her pocket.

           Nicole smiled over at her. “Are you ready to go?” she asked standing up.

           Amanda thought for a moment. “You know, I think I’m gonna stick around for a little while.” She said.

           “Are you sure? I can come pick you up later.” She said, handing the money to Evan who had walked over.

           “I can take her home.” Evan offered, taking the money. “As long as you don’t mind staying until close.”

           Amanda smiled at both of them. “You guys are sweet. If I need to, I’ll get a cab.” She said, standing up to hug Nicole. “Thank you for dinner, let me know that you got home okay.”

           Nicole hugged her back and smiled. “You know I always do. Don’t get into too much trouble, Evan’s gonna keep his eyes on you.” she joked.

           Evan smiled. “For sure, I won’t let her get into trouble.” He winked.

           “Night, Nicole.” Amanda said.

 Nicole exited the bar and drove back home. Amanda took her hat off and set it on the bar, pushing her hair back. Evan went back to cleaning off some of the tables, leaving her to think. Amanda played with her hat, waiting for a text from Nicole. As she was waiting, she saw a wallet and phone get set onto the bar next to her. She followed the hand that dropped them, all the way up to the man who it belonged to. When she saw who was standing there, her heart just about fell out of her stomach.

           “Is this seat taken?” Patrick asked, smiling down at her.


	2. Chapter Two

  Amanda looked at Patrick for a moment to gather her thoughts. It seemed like she had been staring at him for an hour, but it was only a moment. She shook out of her thoughts and answered.

            “No, it’s empty.” She replied to him.

            Patrick smiled down at her. “Do you mind if I sit here?” he asked politely.

            “No, not at all, it’s yours.” She smiled up at him.

            Patrick sat down and smiled over at her. “How come you’re not wearing your hat anymore?” he asked.

            She looked at him and then the hat and smiled softly. “Oh, I just got a little warm.” She said

            He nodded and held his hand out. “I’m Patrick by the way.” He said.

            She looked up and smiled, shaking his hand gently. “I know; I’m Amanda.” She said.

            He smirked and nodded. “I figured you might know who I was, but I didn’t want to just assume.” He said and let go of her hand gently.

            Amanda smiled and nodded, resting her hands in her lap. “Yeah, it was probably a little obvious.” She said.

            “Well the hat kind of gave you away.” He joked, smiling.

            Evan walked over and smiled. “Back again? What can I get for you?” he asked Patrick.

            Patrick looked up and smiled. “I’ll have a Bud Light please.” He said.

            Evan nodded and grabbed a bottle, opening it for him and handing it to him. “I’ll start your tab up for you.” he said.

            Patrick nodded and took a sip of his beer. “So what brought you in tonight?” he asked, looking over at Amanda.

            She looked over and answered. “My friend Nicole and I try to go out once a week just to catch up. What about you?”

            “I was here celebrating my friend’s birthday. Do you guys watch the games here?” he asked.

            Amanda nodded and smiled. “Yeah this is our favorite spot to watch them. I mean, ideally we’d like to watch a game at the United Center, but we haven’t been able to get tickets yet.”

            Patrick smiled and took another sip of his beer. “Well maybe I can help you out with that.” He said.

            She looked over at him and smiled. “Patrick, that’s sweet but I couldn’t ask you to do that. We’ll get there sometime.” She said.

            He smiled and nodded. “Alright well if you ever need a hand, just let me know.” He said.

            Amanda smiled over at him and nodded. “I will.”

  Patrick smiled back at her and the two started talking more and more. They talked about what they liked to do for fun, their favorite movies and shows, and they of course talked about hockey. Amanda’s nerves gradually went away the more she talked with Patrick. Even though he was her favorite player, something about talking to him made her feel like she was just chatting with a friend. She felt comfortable with him and felt comfortable opening up to him. Patrick opened up to her just the same, and before they knew it, it was closing time.

            Evan walked over and smirked at Amanda and Patrick who were both laughing at something Patrick had said, probably a story about a prank he had pulled. “Alright you two, as much as I love seeing the laughs and smiles, I gotta kick you guys out.” He said, setting the two tabs on the bar in front of them.

            Amanda looked up and smiled, a bit shocked. She looked at her phone and saw the time; 1:50 A.M. “Oh wow, it’s late.” She said.

            Patrick smirked and nodded. “Yeah I guess time flies when you’re talking to someone as amazing as you.” he winked.

            Amanda smiled and shook her head. “I don’t think that’s quite the phrase.” She joked. She reached into her pocket to get her card out to pay for her drinks.

            Patrick took his card out of his wallet and smiled. “I’ll take care of her tab too.” He said.

            She looked over at him and smiled softly. “You don’t have to do that.” She told him.

            “I know but I want to.” He smiled. He handed his car to Evan along with both tabs. “I know it’s late, but if you’re not doing anything, maybe we can continue our conversation elsewhere?” he offered.

            Amanda smiled and blushed, pulling her beanie back onto her head. She looked over to Evan as if she was asking his advice. When Evan nodded his head smiling, she looked back to Patrick. “You know what? That sounds great. We’re already up this late, why stop now?” she joked.

            Patrick smiled and nodded. “Do you wanna drive or would you like me to?” he asked.

            “Oh, I actually don’t have my car with me, Nicole drove us.” She said.

            “That’s alright, I can drive us. I think there’s a Denny’s down the road from here and they’re open all night.” Patrick suggested.

            Evan walked over and smiled, handing Patrick his card and receipt. “Take care of our girl.” He winked. “Amanda? Behave.” He said, pointing to Amanda, trying to look stern.

            She blushed and Patrick smiled, looking over at Evan. “I’ll take care of her, I promise.”

            Evan smiled and nodded.  Amanda smiled and waved to him. “Night Evan.” She said.

  Patrick held his arm out and Amanda looped her hand through his arm. He walked her outside of the bar to his black car. He opened the door for her and shut it behind her. He got into the driver’s seat and drove them both to Denny’s. The two of them walked inside and got a booth towards the back of the restaurant. They sat down and looked at their menus while the made some small talk. Patrick ordered a coffee and Amanda ordered a hot chocolate. When the waitress brought their cups, they both ordered a breakfast plate. Patrick ordered French toast, eggs, and bacon, while Amanda ordered toast eggs and bacon. When the waitress put the orders in, Patrick crossed his arms on the table.

            “I have to say, I’ve never done this before.” He said smiling.

            Amanda looked at him and smiled. “I haven’t either. I mean I’ve done it with my mom and friends before, but not a hockey player.” She joked.

            Patrick smiled and nodded. “Fair enough.” He said. “So when we were back at the bar, you were talking about how it was hard for you to meet people. Can I ask why?”

            Her cheeks turned a light pink color as she shrugged some. “Well it might make you want to run for the hills.” She said.

            He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not like some crazed killer are you?” he asked, joking.

            Amanda let out a soft laugh and shook her head. “No, I promise. Um, okay promise not to laugh or look at me different?” she asked.

            Patrick nodded and held his pinky out to her. “Pinky promise.” He smirked.

            She smiled and linked her pinky with his. When their hands parted, she took a deep breath. “I’ve got an anxiety disorder, and I haven’t had a major issue in a few years, but sometimes I have bad days still. It’s hard to meet people because I get nervous that they won’t have the patience to deal with it.”

            He nodded and listened to her every word. “Well it’s something that you have and can’t control. Anyone who doesn’t have the patience to deal with it is crazy, because they’re missing out on getting to know this wonderful young lady.” He said sincerely.

            Amanda’s cheeks blushed and she looked up from her hands to Patrick. She smiled and nodded. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” She said.

            Patrick smiled and nodded. He held her hand gently on to the table. “If there’s anything I can do, you tell me okay? I don’t care what time of day or night it is.” He said.

            She smiled and nodded. “Thank you.” she said.

  The food came and the two of them ate and talked more. Amanda opened up more to Patrick, and he opened up more to her. There was something about her that made Patrick want to get to know her and be friends with her. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt like he could trust her. Amanda felt the same about him, which was a new experience for her. When the two of them finished eating, Patrick paid the bill and drove Amanda home. He pulled into the driveway and walked her up to her door.

            “Thank you so much for tonight. I had a really nice time.” She said, looking up at Patrick.

            He smiled down at her and nodded. “I had a nice time too. I’m glad we got to talk, even if we stayed out a little late.” He joked.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “It was worth it.” She said.

            Patrick nodded and smiled. “So listen, maybe we can see each other again?” he suggested.

            She smiled and nodded back to him. “I’d like that a lot. I have fun with you, Patrick.”

            He smiled and nodded. “I have a lot of fun with you too. Here.” He said and handed his phone to her. “You can put your number in there so I’ll have it.”

            Amanda smiled and handed her phone to him for him to do the same. When she added her number in there, she handed it back to him. “Thank you again.”

            Patrick added his number to her phone and handed hers back to her. “No problem. Thank you for spending the night with me.” He smiled.

            She nodded and smiled. “I’ll talk to you soon.” She said softly.

            “Yes ma’am. Goodnight, Amanda.” He said and held his arms out for a hug.

            Amanda hugged him warmly and smiled. “Goodnight Patrick.” She said.

  He made sure she got inside, and then walked to his car to drive home. Amanda got her shoes off and set her keys and wallet down on the table by the door. She went up to her room and got pajama pants and a t-shirt on, heading to her bed. When she plugged her phone in to charge, she saw the time; 5:52 A.M. She groaned some, knowing she had to be up in a few hours to babysit. She saw that she had a few unread text messages from Evan and Nicole, so she sent a message to each of them.

            _‘I’m home safe, I’ll explain in the morning. Goodnight!’_

  She put her phone on her nightstand and curled up under her blanket, yawning. She closed her eyes, a smile on her face. When she left the house that night, she had no idea that she was going to be meeting her favorite hockey player. She definitely had no idea that when she got home, she would be able to call him a friend. It only took a few minutes for her to fall asleep, and she slept through until her alarm woke her up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will pick up soon, I promise! I just want some build up as well. :D


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely confident in this chapter. : / I guess it's not too bad. 
> 
> I'm thinking of doing a time skip for the next chapter. What do you guys think?

  Amanda woke up around nine that morning got showered and dressed and waited for her younger cousins to get there so she could babysit. Just as she sat down on the couch, her phone started ringing and she saw Nicole’s face on the screen. She swiped the screen and answered.

            “Hello?” she said.

            “Evan called me this morning and told me you left the bar with Patrick Sharp?!” Nicole half yelled.

            Amanda moved the phone from her ear for a moment and then put it back. “It wasn’t like that. He came back to the bar and we talked and got to know each other.”

            “Got to know each other? Is he there? Did he stay the night?” Nicole asked quickly.

            “Nicole, calm down. We wanted to keep talking so we went to Denny’s and had breakfast, then he took me home. It wasn’t anything bad.” She assured her.

            “You guys talked all that time? Was he flirting? Did you flirt?” Nicole pressed on.

            “I don’t know if we flirted, he’s just a nice guy. We talked a lot and we exchanged numbers when we got back to my house.” Amanda said, smiling softly thinking about the night before.

            “Amanda that is adorable! Maybe you guys will start dating.” Nicole said excitedly.

            She smiled and shook her head. “I doubt it. Right now we’re just two adults talking and hanging out.” She said.

            “Sure, for now.” Nicole teased.

            Amanda smiled and heard a knock. “I gotta go, the girls are here. I’ll talk to you later.”

            “Alright bye.” Nicole said and hung up.

  Amanda hung up and opened the door to her three cousins. She spent the rest of the morning and afternoon babysitting. She made some crafts with the kids and watched a few Disney movies with them to keep them busy. She made them lunch and made sure that they were happy. The girls got picked up around four so Amanda went into the kitchen to figure out what to do for dinner. As she was browsing her fridge and cabinets, she heard her phone buzzing on the counter. She walked over and when she read the message, her heart fluttered.

            _‘Hey, this is Patrick. I was going to text you earlier, but I was in a few meetings and went to the gym. Hope your day is going well. : )’_

            Amanda smiled and shook her head some before she replied. _‘Don’t worry about it, I was babysitting. My day has gone quite well, just figuring out what to do for dinner.’_

            _‘I’m glad your day is going well. I’m deciding on dinner too. If you’re up for it, maybe we could meet up for dinner?’_ Patrick sent.

            She almost dropped her phone when she read the message. She sat at the kitchen table staring at her phone and figuring out what to reply back with. She must have been deciding for a few minutes too long, because before she could reply she got another message.

            _‘You can invite your friend Nicole, and I can invite someone. That way it won’t be weird or anything.’_

            Amanda smiled at her phone and bit her lip gently. _‘Sorry I took a minute to respond. I’m okay with it being just us unless you want to invite someone else.’_

            _‘I’m just fine with it being just us. : ) How about I pick you up in an hour?’_

            She smiled and felt butterflies in her stomach. ‘That sounds like a plan. See you then!’ she replied.

  She set her phone down and went upstairs to change clothes. She put on a black, three-quarter sleeve button up shirt, her light blue straight-leg jeans, and her brown ankle boots. She put her hair in a low side braid and headed downstairs to wait for Patrick to get there. As she waited, she tried to keep herself calm and tried not to get too excited. It’s just dinner between two adults; it’s a friendly dinner and nothing more. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock on the door. She put her phone and her wallet into her purse and put the cross body strap over her head, slipping her jacket on next. She opened the door and saw Patrick standing on her porch in blue jeans and a red polo with his black coat over. He smiled down at her and waved.

            “Hey, long time no see.” He joked.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “I know it’s been forever.” She joked back. She locked the door behind her and walked to the car with him.

            “So how does pizza sound?” he asked as he got into the driver’s seat.

            She climbed into the passenger’s seat and buckled up. “Pizza sounds amazing. Can I tell you a secret though?”

            Patrick smirked as he buckled and started the car. “You can tell me anything.” He said, pulling out of the driveway.

            “I’ve never had a Chicago style pizza.” Amanda admitted. This was a big deal, she had grown up in the famous city, but had never had a pizza in Chicago style.

            Patrick stopped the car in the middle of her street. “You what?” he asked, looking over at her.

            She giggled and looked in the side mirror. “You can’t just stop in the middle of the street.” She said.

            Patrick smirked and drove down the street. “You’ve lived here your whole life, and you’ve never had a Chicago style pizza?” he asked.

            Amanda smiled and shook her head. “I know it’s so bad. I’ve just always kind of liked regular crust pizza. I decided that when I have my first Chicago pizza, it has to be in the city.”

            A smile came across Patrick’s face as he nodded. “Alright, the city it is.” He winked.

  Amanda lived just outside of the heart of Chicago, so it wasn’t a long drive. After maybe a ten minute drive, Patrick pulled into a parking garage down the street from some restaurants. When he found a spot, he walked with Amanda to the elevators to get to the ground level. When they walked out of the enclosed area with the elevators were, the cold Chicago wind hit them both. Amanda shivered slightly as she walked next to Patrick. He put his hand on her back to keep her close in the groups of people on the sidewalks.

            “There’s a place down a few doors that has the best pizza I’ve ever had.” He said.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “Well lead the way.” She said.

  Patrick took her to Lou Malnati’s Pizza and got them a booth. He ordered them a classic Chicago style pizza, a bottle of beer, and a Coke for Amanda, remembering that she wasn’t a big drinker. He took his jacket off and set it on the booth next to him.

            “So how did babysitting go?” he asked.

            Amanda slid her jacket off and set it next to her as well. “It was fun. We watched Frozen about five times.” She smiled.

            “Of course, that’s the new craze isn’t it?” Patrick joked.

            “Oh definitely.” She smiled. “How were your meetings?” she asked.

            He shrugged some, leaning towards the table. “They were meetings, not very exciting.” He smirked. “Hanging out with you is much more fun.” He winked.

            Amanda smiled and felt her cheeks turning pink. “Well thank you, I have a lot of fun with you too. Even if we’ve only hung out twice.”

            Patrick smiled back at her and nodded. “You’re a great girl, Amanda. I’m glad we met last night.” He said sincerely.

            “I am too, you’re a cool guy.” She said. “And not just because you’re my favorite hockey player.” She added, smirking.

            He smirked and nodded. “Oh sure, I’m sure that’s not a reason at all.” He winked.

            “It helps, but I mean it, you’re a cool guy.” Amanda said.

            Patrick smiled and nodded. “You’re cool too. It’s good to call you my friend.” He said.

            Amanda looked at him and smiled. “I’m your friend?” she asked softly.

            He smirked and nodded. “Well yeah, I hope so.” He teased.

            She smiled and nodded, feeling the butterflies again. “Friends.” She said.

            “Friends.” Patrick said and leaned back when the waitress came back with the pizza.

  The two of them spend the evening eating and talking, and goofing off some. Amanda felt comfortable with Patrick, and she opened up to him more than she had in a long time. Patrick felt the same with her, yet he was a little hesitant to get too excited due to the twelve year age difference. It hadn’t been brought up, but both Amanda and Patrick were thinking about it. So far, neither of them felt themselves falling for the other one, but it was still early in the friendship.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a small time jump at the beginning, but nothing major. It got a little longer than I intended, and I'm not sure if it's that great, but I hope you guys like it!

It had been a month and a half since Amanda and Patrick first met. They hung out as often as they could, and talked every day. The friendship was getting stronger and with each visit between the two of them, the mutual feelings for the other one grew stronger as well. There were times where Amanda could have sworn Patrick was flirting with her, and unbeknownst to her, Patrick thought the same. They really had grown close, but neither of them wanted to push things to an awkward spot. The two of them played things off as if they were content with where things were, but each of them wanted things to go further. Other than the hidden feelings, the friendship was great. The pair spent a lot of time just hanging out together, and they were just fine with that.

 One Friday evening, Amanda was watching movies at home with Nicole. While she was watching the movies, Amanda was also texting Patrick. Her smiles at her phone didn’t go unnoticed, and Nicole paused the movie, smirking.

           “Let me guess, you’re texting Sharp?” she said.

           Amanda looked up and felt her cheeks blushing. “Guilty.” She said shyly.

           “When are you guys gonna start dating?” Nicole asked, munching on some popcorn.

           “I told you, we’re fine being just friends.” Amanda replied. Her phone began to ring and she bit her lip. “Hang on.” She said, seeing Patrick’s face on the screen. She swiped the answer button and smiled. “Hello?”

           “Hey how’s the movie night going?” Patrick asked on the other line.

           “It’s going pretty well. What are you up to?” She asked.

           “Well I just got a call from Shawzy and there is a family skate tomorrow.” Patrick said.

           Amanda bit her bottom lip and smiled. “Well that should be fun.” She said.

           Patrick smiled and nodded some. “Yeah it should. I was thinking that maybe you could come with me.” He suggested.

           Amanda’s eyes went a little wide, earning a snicker from Nicole. “Uh, well I would love to go with but there’s a tiny problem.” She started.

           Patrick smirked. “Not knowing how to skate isn’t an excuse hun, I can teach you.” he said.

           “Alright well that solves that tiny problem.” She said. “Should I meet you there?” she asked.

           “How about I pick you up? I can take you to the arena early and we can practice a little before everyone gets there.” Patrick suggested.

           Amanda smiled and couldn’t help but get butterflies. How sweet of him? “That sounds like the perfect plan.” She said.

           “Great. I’ll pick you up around two tomorrow if that works for you.” He said.

           “That definitely works for me.” She smiled.

           “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He said a smile evident in his voice.

           “Yes you will. Night, Patrick.” Amanda smiled.

           “Night, Amanda.” He replied.

 Both parties hung up the phone with smiles on their faces. Amanda looked over at Nicole who was grinning from ear to ear. She rolled her eyes smirking and got up to get a drink from the kitchen.

           “So Mr. Sharp is teaching you how to skate?” Nicole asked.

           Amanda smiled and nodded. “Yes, he offered to teach me how.” She said.

           “Amanda that is too cute. Maybe he’ll finally make a move this time.” She joked.

           Amanda shook her head smirking. “Nicole I told you, we’re in a good place.”

           “Uh-huh, we’ll see about that.” Nicole teased. “So are you meeting the team then?”

           “I guess so, it’s a family skate.” She said. “I’m kind of nervous I mean what if they don’t like me or something?” Amanda thought out loud.

           Nicole scoffed. “They’re going to love you just like Patrick does.” She smiled.

           Amanda blushed and shook her head smiling. “He doesn’t love me.” She said.

 Amanda rejoined Nicole on the couch and continued with movie night. Nicole left around midnight, leaving Amanda alone with her thoughts about the following day. She was nervous about meeting everyone but at the same time she had a good feeling about the family skate. If Patrick liked her, why wouldn’t the rest of the team like her? She laid in bed and dozed off, dreaming about the next day.

 When she woke up, she got in the shower and then got dressed. She threw on jeans and a t-shirt, letting her hair air dry. She sent a text to Patrick asking what she was supposed to wear to the team skate. As she was making herself some toast and eggs, she heard her phone go off. She opened the new message from Patrick and read it.

            _‘I would say that you’re safe in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Some of the girls wear leggings, but it’s pretty cold in there so you want to be warm._ ’ He sent.

           She smiled and nodded. _‘Thank you for the help, Mr. Sharp.’_

            _‘Anytime, Ms. Roberts.’_

 She made her breakfast and spent most of the day preparing her for the night. At around one-thirty, Amanda went upstairs to change. She put on a pair of black leggings and put her straight-leg jeans on over them. She put a white t-shirt on and a light grey sweater over that. She grabbed a white beanie and put it on, sitting on her bed to put her boots on. She went downstairs and put a jacket on before grabbing her phone and putting it into her purse. Before she had a chance to sit down, there was a knock on her door causing her stomach to flip. She opened the door and smiled, seeing Patrick standing there in jeans, a sweater, and a Blackhawks stocking cap.

           “Hello.” Amanda smiled.

           “Hey, how are you?” he asked.

           “Ask me when I’m done skating.” She joked.

           “You’re going to do fine, I promise.” Patrick reassured her.

 She walked to the car with him and got in buckling her seatbelt. Patrick got into the driver’s side and buckled up. He drove the two of them to the United Center, which was closed for the team and their families. He parked in the lot and got out of the car, holding his arm out. Amanda got out of the car and linked her arm in his, smiling.

           “Ready?” he asked.

           “I think so.” She joked.

 Patrick walked her inside, giving her a tour of the arena first. Once he was done showing her around, he took her to the Blackhawks locker room. He showed here where everything was and explained what certain things were. She looked around the locker room in complete awe. She never believed that she would even go to a game, let alone hang out in the locker room. She smiled to herself and looked at the cubbies for each player.

           “I have a present for you.” Patrick said, pulling Amanda from her thoughts.

           She looked at him and smiled. “Patrick, you didn’t have to get me a present.” She said.

           He smiled and shrugged. “I know, but I thought you’d like it…I hope.” He winked.

           “I’m sure I’ll love it.” Amanda smiled.

           Patrick went to the duffel that was sitting on his bench spot and unzipped it. He pulled out a fairly large box and smiled. “Come on.” He said and walked her out of the locker room to the players’ bench next to the ice. He sat down and patted the spot next to him.

           Amanda followed him and sat next to him on the bench. When Patrick handed her the box, she smiled and opened it. There was a pair of black ice skates with red laces. She smiled a big grin and looked over at Patrick. “Are these for me?” she asked shyly.

           He nodded and smiled. “I know that this is your first time, but I’m hoping it won’t be the last time. Plus then we can go practice places other than the rink because you won’t have to rent skates.” He said.

           She smiled and wrapped her arm around him in a side hug. “Thank you so much, Patrick.”

           Patrick wrapped his arms around her and smiled, hugging her back. “You’re welcome. Get ‘em on so I can show you how to lace them up.” He winked.

 Amanda got her boots off and slid them underneath the bench before putting the skates on. She watched as Patrick knelt in front of her and laced the skates for her, explaining that this was the way they were taught to lace them. When she had them on, Patrick smiled and sat next to her, getting his own skates on.

           “So have you ever skated before?” he asked as he laced his skates up.

           “I used to roller blade and I’ve ice skated twice I think, but that was when I was seven or eight.” Amanda said.

           “Well it’s all about keeping your balance.” Patrick explained. “Once you get the hang of it, it comes pretty easily.”

           Amanda nodded and watched Patrick as he stood up.

           “Ready?” he asked.

           “As I’ll ever be.” She teased.

 Patrick held her hands and helped her stand up off of the bench. He held her hand as they walked to the entrance of the rink and opened the door. He stepped onto the ice and turned to face her.

           “Whenever you’re ready.” He smiled up at her.

           Amanda smiled and nodded, holding his hand and stepping onto the ice. She wobbled a little but she didn’t do too badly. “Okay so I haven’t landed on my butt yet which is good I think.” She smiled.

           Patrick smiled and nodded. “It’s very good. It’s just like roller blading, but it’s ice.” He said and stood next to her, holding her hand still. “I won’t let go until you tell me I can.”

           She held onto his hand and began to skate slowly. “Alright it’s not so bad.” She noted.

           He smirked and nodded, skating next to her at her pace. “Don’t feel rushed or anything, just go at your natural pace.”

 Amanda skated around the rink with Patrick and with each movement, she became more comfortable. She eventually let go of Patrick’s hand and skated around a few times by herself, picking up speed each time. After the fourth time around, Patrick stood by the door to the bench and smiled watching her. She skated around a fifth time and as she skated around Patrick shouted out to her;

           “Try not to watch your feet so much.” He said, crossing his arms.

           She skated towards him and watched him the whole time. She got a bit wobbly and just as she reached Patrick, she began to slip.

           Patrick reached out and grabbed her waist to steady her and keep her from falling. “Not bad, rookie.” He winked.

           Amanda held onto his arms and smiled up at him. “Thanks, coach.” She joked.

           Patrick looked down at her and smiled. “You did great out there.”

           She looked up at him and smiled then blushed when she realized how close they were. “Thank you. I had a great teacher.” She said.

           Just as Patrick was about to reply, there was another voice coming from the hallway that lead to the locker room. “This doesn’t look like practicing to me Sharpy.”

           Amanda and Patrick both looked over to see the captain of the Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews walking in on his skates. Patrick smirked and waved. “Hey, we were practicing I was just saving her from a fall.”

           Amanda smiled and looked over. “I feel like it should be known that this was the only near-spill I had.” She said. She was a bit nervous to be in the presence of not one, but two players from her favorite team, but she tried not to let it show.

           Jonathan walked over and smiled. “That’s better than I did when I first started. So you must be Amanda then?” he asked.

           Patrick nodded and smiled. “This is Amanda, Amanda this is Jonathan Toews.” He said.

           Amanda smiled and held her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you.” she said politely.

           “Nice to meet you too, Amanda.” He shook her hand gently. “The rest of the guys are slowly trickling in so you’ll get to meet them too.”

           “Great.” She smiled and watched Jonathan skate off onto the ice to warm up his legs.

 Now that she had met another player, Amanda didn’t feel as nervous to meet the rest of the team. Jonathan seemed to like her so she hoped that the rest of the team would too.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too sure about this chapter. I didn't want it to be too long. I hope you guys like it.

            As the rest of the team came in, Patrick introduced them to Amanda. Everyone was very sweet, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t a bit star struck to meet everyone. This was her favorite hockey team and now she was getting to hang out with them at a family skate. She got to see them up close and personal, and she was trying to hide her excitement. Patrick helped her to the bench so they could have some water and a bit of a rest.

            “Where’s Shawzy?” Patrick asked Niklas Hjalmarsson as he passed by with his wife and son.

            “He should be here, he said he was on his way.” Niklas replied.

            Amanda took a sip of her water and then looked at Patrick. “So what happens if you have to go to the bathroom and you’re on skates?” she smiled.

            He smiled over to her. “You can leave them here. The bathroom’s down the hall we came in, two doors past the locker room.” He said.

            “Got it.” She said.

  Amanda took her skates off and walked down the tunnel towards the locker room. Just as she was about to pass the door, she crashed into a body that was a bit taller than hers.

            “I’m so sorry.” She said looking up. When she realized who she had just crashed into, her stomach dropped.

            “No, it’s my fault I was in a hurry.” he smiled. “Are you okay?” he asked, touching her arm gently.

            “Yeah, I’m fine, thank you.” she said.

            “Are you here for the skate?” he asked, noticing that she wasn’t wearing any shoes.

            Amanda nodded and smiled. “Yeah I’m Patrick’s friend.” She said.

            “Sharpy?” he asked and then smiled. “Oh, you’re Amanda.” He said. “He told us we all had to be on our best behavior when you came today.” He winked, smirking.

            She smiled and felt herself blushing. “Well I’m sure you guys can just be yourselves.” She said.

            He smiled and nodded. “I’m Andrew.” He said and held his hand out.

            “It’s nice to meet you Andrew.” She said, shaking his hand gently.

            “Nice to meet you too. I’m gonna go get my skates on, but I’ll see you out there.” He smiled.

            “Sure.” Amanda smiled back and watched as Andrew jogged out to the bench carrying his skates.

  She survived meeting her second favorite player. Of course it wasn’t exactly the scenario she had planned, but it definitely went better than it could have. She went to the restroom and headed back out to the bench where Patrick was racing some of the kids. She smiled as she sat on the bench to get her skates back on. While she laced them up, she saw someone walking over and sitting on the bench beside her.

            “Is this seat taken?” a voice asked.

            Amanda looked up and saw Brent Seabrook looking at her. “Nope.” She smiled.

            “I know we do this for a living, but I think the family skates are more tiring than the games sometimes.” Brent joked.

            She smiled and nodded lacing her skates back up. “The last time I skated with kids, I was a kid myself. I babysit though, and that gets tiring so I can only imagine chasing after kids on ice.”

            Brent smiled and nodded. “It’s a workout, that’s for sure.” He said. “So are you coming to get pizza with everyone after this?”

            “I didn’t know there was a dinner.” She said. Why wouldn’t Patrick tell her about something like that? It’s just pizza with the team.

            “Sharpy has a habit of forgetting details. You’re more than welcome to join us over there. We’ve got the place rented out for us so it’ll be peaceful.” He said.

            “Well thank you.” she smiled. “I’m going to try and get back out there without killing myself.” She joked, standing up. “Wish me luck.” She teased and waddled to the rink door.

            “Good luck.” Brent smiled.

  Amanda skated onto the ice and did a few laps, talking to different players and family members as she went. As she finished up a conversation with Jonathan, Patrick skated up next to her and smiled.

            “Hey, you’re doing great.” He said. “Having fun?” he asked.

            She looked over at him and smiled. “Yeah it’s really cool.” She said. She hesitated for a moment deciding if she should bring up dinner. Maybe it was true that he just forgot to tell her. “So, Brent was telling me about the pizza dinner after this.”

            Patrick bit his bottom lip and nodded. “He did?”

            “Yeah.” She said. “Was I not supposed to know about it?” she asked softly.

            “No, no it’s not that.” Patrick said quickly. “I just kind of hoped that maybe I could sneak away with you and have dinner alone.” He shrugged some.

            Amanda felt butterflies in her stomach. He wanted to take her to dinner and keep him to herself? “Oh, well we could do that too.” She smiled.

            Patrick smirked. “We can go with the team. That’ll give you a chance to get to know everyone a little more.” He said.

            She nodded and smiled. “Okay, cool.” She said and skated to the bench to get a water bottle.

            Patrick followed her and waved Andrew over. When he skated over to the wall, Patrick smiled. “I want you to meet Amanda.” He said.

            “Oh, we met.” Andrew said.

            Patrick looked over at Amanda and then at Andrew. “You did?”

            She smiled and nodded. “I kind of crashed into him on the way to the bathroom.” She said.

            “Oh okay, well then I guess I don’t have to introduce you guys then.” Patrick smiled. “I’m gonna go get a few more laps in before we head out.”

            Amanda nodded and watched as he skated off.

            Andrew hopped over the wall and sat on the bench next to her. “So is this your first time skating?” he asked.

            “No, I skated twice when I was a kid, but this is the first time in a while.” Amanda said.

            He nodded and smiled. “Well you’re good for a rookie.” He joked.

            “Thank you.” she smiled.

            “I think I’m gonna go try and race Sharpy before we leave.” He said smirking.

            “Well good luck.” She said smiling.

  Andrew waited for Patrick to skate by before skating after him at full speed. Amanda smiled as they raced around the rink. When they were finished, everyone started to get ready to go. Amanda got her skates off and put her boots back on. Patrick put her skates in his bag with his and walked out to the car with her. They both got in and buckled before heading towards the pizza place.

            “I’m sorry about not telling you about dinner.” Patrick said. “I just kind of wanted you to myself for a little while.” He blushed.

            Amanda smiled and felt her cheeks turning a bit pink as well. “Patrick that’s sweet.” She said. “How about after dinner we go to my house and watch a movie?” she suggested. As the words came out of her mouth she felt herself get nervous. Did she just invite Patrick Sharp to her house for movies after dinner?

            Patrick smiled over at her and nodded. “Okay.” He said. “It’s a date.” He winked.

            She smiled and nodded, leaning back in her seat.

  The pair drove to the restaurant and went inside. They sat at a big table with everyone and talked over dinner. As Amanda ate and talked, she noticed that she kept catching the eye of Andrew. She would smile at him and talk with him, figuring he was just being nice. It was either that or she had something on her face. As dinner wound down, some of the players started to leave. It came down to Patrick, Amanda, Jonathan and Andrew left at the table.

            “So have you ever been to a game, Amanda?” Jonathan asked.

            She looked at him and smiled softly. “Unfortunately, I have not. I almost went on my golden birthday but it fell through at the last minute.”

            Andrew looked over at her. “How come Sharp hasn’t given you tickets?” he asked.

            She smiled. “I haven’t asked. I didn’t want to be rude or anything.”

            Patrick nudged her arm. “I would have gotten them for you in a heartbeat. Next game, you’re coming.” He smirked. “Right behind the bench.” He said.

            Jonathan nodded and smiled. “You’ll have to be warned though, Shawzy never stops talking, so you might not be able to hear anything else.” He joked.

            Andrew smiled and nudged Jonathan’s arm. “Shut up.” He said. He looked at his watch and then spoke. “I gotta get home.” He said.

            Jonathan nodded and stood up. “Yeah we should probably head out.”

  Patrick and Amanda got their coats on and followed Jonathan and Andrew outside to the cars. She said goodbye to Jonathan and Andrew, giving them both hugs. She got into the car with Patrick and they drove towards her house.

            “I hate to say I told you so…” he started, smirking over at her.

            Amanda smiled and shook her head. “I know, I know. I had a lot of fun and I’m glad no one thought I was weird or anything.”

            Patrick smiled. “Nah, they loved you.” he said.

  They pulled up to her house and went inside to pick a movie. While Patrick picked out a movie, Amanda went to her room and changed into pajamas. She came back downstairs in pajama pants and a white t-shirt. She sat next to Patrick on the couch and smiled.

            “Did you pick one?” she asked.

            He nodded and smiled, showing her that he picked Toy Story.

            She smiled and nodded. “My favorite.” She said.

            “I know.” He winked and pushed play. He leaned back on the couch and held his arm out.

            Amanda felt butterflies as she scooted closer to him. She put her head on his shoulder and nestled into Patrick’s side. “There’s a blanket behind your head if you’re cold.”

            He nodded and held her close, smiling. “I’m fine for now. Thank you though.” He said.

  The two watched the movie together on the couch. Amanda was a little more tired than she thought and ended up falling asleep on Patrick’s chest right around the middle of the movie. Patrick noticed her breathing changing, so he carefully got the blanket behind his head. He draped it over her and turned the movie off, holding her close. He gently rested his head on hers and closed his eyes. He fell asleep holding her close to him, and slept all night. Sure, this wasn’t exactly the plan, but neither of them were going to complain.


	6. Chapter Six

            The next morning, Amanda woke up on the couch with the blanket covering her. She sat up, stretching her arms and yawning. As she woke up a little more, she remembered that Patrick had spent the night. She looked to the front door where Patrick’s shoes were still on the mat, leading her to believe that he was still there. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs so she looked over to see Patrick coming downstairs in just his jeans, shirt in hand, and hair wet and messy. Amanda stared for a moment at the sight before her. Her thoughts were interrupted when Patrick smiled at her and spoke.

            “Morning.” He said. “I borrowed your shower, I hope that’s okay.” He said walking over to the couch and sitting next to her.

            “S-sure. Yeah that’s okay.” She said trying to regain her composure. Patrick Sharp was half naked on the couch next to her.

            “I’ve got practice today but maybe afterwards we can grab lunch.” He said, sliding his shirt on over his head.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “I’d like that.” She said softly. “I can pick you up if you want.” She suggested.

            “Sure.” He smiled. He got up and grabbed his shoes, then walked over to the couch and sat by her again. “So did you sleep okay?” he asked.

            “I did what about you?” she asked.

            “I slept like a baby.” Patrick smiled. “We’ll have to try movies again when we’re a little less tired.” He joked.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “We can dedicate a day to it.” She said.

            “Sounds like a plan to me.” Patrick said and looked at his phone. “Alright as much as I would love to just stay and make some breakfast for the two of us, I need to get to practice.” He said.

            She nodded and smiled. “Well I’ll take a rain check on breakfast.” She teased.

            “Of course.” He smiled.

  She got up and folded the blanket, putting it back on the couch. Patrick got his shoes on and slid his jacket on. Amanda walked over and held her arms open for a hug. Patrick wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her tightly, smiling.

            “Thank you for yesterday and staying.” She said, hugging him back.

            “Thanks for coming and thanks for having me.” He smiled down at her as they pulled away. “I’ll text you when we’re close to being done and then you can head over.” He said.

            “I’ll be there.” She said and smiled up at him. “Score some goals for me, okay?” she joked.

            “Always.” He smiled and winked at her. “See you later.” He said and walked out the door and to his car.

  Amanda shut the door behind him and smiled to herself. She practically floated up the stairs to her room to grab some clothes to change into after her shower. Before she got in, she sent a text to Nicole.

            ‘Hey the skate went just fine, Patrick crashed here last night and I’m going to lunch with him later. Just letting you know that I’m alive.’

   Not a minute after Amanda set her phone down; there was a text message from Nicole waiting for her.

            ‘HE WHAT?! Call me right this instant.’ Nicole sent.

  Amanda smiled and shook her head, knowing that she was going to be doing a lot of explaining to Nicole. She dialed Nicole’s number and put the phone up to her ear. After two and a half rings, Nicole’s voice came over the other end.

            “So Patrick Sharp stays the night at your house and you can’t even tell your best friend?” Nicole asked.

            “It wasn’t a big deal, plus I fell asleep before I could even check my phone.” Amanda said.

            “Did you guys sleep together?” Nicole asked.

            “What?! No…I mean technically yes but not like that. We both crashed on the couch watching movies.” She explained.

            “Well if anything else happens, you better tell me.” Nicole smiled.

            “Oh sure.” Amanda smiled. “I gotta get in the shower but I’ll talk to you later, alright? Maybe we can hang out sometime this week.”

            “See if you can fit me into your Patrick-filled schedule.” Nicole joked.

            “Whatever.” Amanda smiled. “I’ll see you later.”

  Both girls hung up the phone and Amanda got into the shower. She got dressed and decided to stop by and see Evan before she had to go pick up Patrick. She drove to the bar and walked in seeing that it wasn’t too busy since it was late morning, early afternoon. She walked to the bar and sat on a stool, smiling at Evan who was cleaning some glasses.

            “Hey stranger.” He joked.

            “I’m not that strange.” She joked and smiled at him. “I was in here not too long ago.”

            Evan smirked. “Yeah with your arm candy.” He winked. “How have you been?”

            “I’ve been good. Being friends with a hockey player definitely keeps you on your toes. I finally met the other players last night which was a little scary at first but they’re all really cool.” Amanda smiled.

            “Wait, you’ve known this guy for almost two months and you just now met the team?” Evan asked.

            “Well he wanted it to be a relaxed environment so he figured he’d wait until the family skate. Plus I didn’t want to pressure him into it so he’d think I was just out for money and meeting players.” She explained.

            Evan nodded. “So are you guys an item yet, or what?” he smirked.

            Amanda felt herself blush as she shook her head. “No we’re just good friends. I don’t know if I could handle dating a hockey player, and he seems good where he’s at.” She said.

            “Well would you want more if he asked?” Evan asked.

            Amanda thought for a moment and then bit her bottom lip. “I’m not sure.” She said honestly. “I mean I’ve thought about it, but what if people think I’m some gold digger? The age difference is one thing but the fact that he’s a sports star doesn’t help either.”

            “Sweetheart, you have to stop worrying about what other people think and start listening to what your heart wants.” He smiled softly. “As long as he treats you well and doesn’t screw you over, he’s okay in my eyes.” Evan smirked.

            She smiled and shook her head. “He’s a great guy, he treats me very well.” She said before hearing her phone go off. “Hang on.” She said, checking her text messages.

            _‘Practice should be wrapping up in about an hour or so. If you want to come early, tell the guard your name and he’ll let you in, he knows you’re with me. See you soon!’_ Patrick sent.

            Amanda smiled at her phone and replied. _‘I’ll head that way soon.’_

            Evan smiled seeing her smiling. “Is that the man himself?” he joked.

            She looked up and smiled. “It is. I’m meeting him for lunch so I should head out.” She said. “I told Nicole that we need to do something, maybe this week.” Amanda said, standing up.

            “How about bowling or something?” Evan suggested.

            “We’ll figure it out.” She smiled.

            “You could just tell me no.” Evan smiled.

            “No I can’t.” Amanda joked, waving to Evan.

  Evan blew her a kiss as she walked out to her car. Amanda drove to the arena and pulled into the team lot where Patrick told her to park. She walked up to the back door and told the guard who she was. The guard, named Sean, walked her inside and to the tunnel that led to the ice. Amanda walked up and sat on the team bench, trying to be as sneaky as possible. Patrick was in the middle of a faceoff when she got in, but Andrew was heading towards the bench to get some water. When he saw Amanda, he got a big smile on his face and skated a little faster. He crashed into the boards and smirked at her.

            “Are you okay?” Amanda asked.

            “I’m fine. I just like to be a little dramatic sometimes.” Andrew joked, smiling. “Are you here for the practice?” he asked.

            “Kind of. Patrick and I are going to lunch but I didn’t have anything else to do so I thought I’d watch some.” She said.

            Andrew nodded and took a drink of his water. “He should be over here to get some water in a minute.” He said and heard the coach yell his name. “Whoops. I gotta go.” He smiled and skated over to do his faceoff.

            Amanda smiled and shook her head at the goofy player. Just as she scanned the ice to find Patrick, he skated over to her. “Hey.” She smiled.

            “Hey I’m glad you’re here.” Patrick smiled.

            There was a light blush on Amanda’s cheeks as she smiled. “Well I am too.” She teased. “You better get back out there before I get in trouble for distracting you guys.”

            Patrick smiled. “Yeah you beautiful distraction, you.” he winked and took a drink of water. “I’ll be back.” He smiled and skated off.

  Amanda watched the rest of practice and when it was over, Jonathan was the first player to the bench. He said hello to Amanda and headed into the dressing room. Amanda waved to the other players as they passed by, and when Andrew walked over, he stopped by her.

            “Are you coming to the game on Monday?” he asked.

            “Oh I haven’t asked Patrick.” She said shyly. “I didn’t know how to bring it up.” She said.

            Andrew smiled. “I’ll ask him.” He said and looked over to Patrick who was skating over. “Sharpy! Come here.” He said.

            Patrick skated over and smiled. “What’s up?” he asked.

            “Are you bringing Amanda to the game on Monday?” he asked.

            Patrick smiled and looked at her. “Do you wanna come?” he asked.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “You have no idea how incredible that would be.” She said.

            Andrew smiled. “We’ll get you seats behind the bench. You can bring a friend if you want.” He said.

            Patrick smirked and shook his head. “Why don’t you go get changed, Shaw?”

            Andrew smiled. “I’ll see you Monday.” He said and walked out of the rink.

            Amanda looked at Patrick and smiled. “He’s peppy.” She said. “So where do you want to go for lunch?” she asked.

            “How about Gino’s East?” he suggested, grabbing his water bottle.

            “Sounds delicious.” She smiled.

            “Great. I’ll meet you by the lot door, okay?”

            “Sure.” She said.

  Patrick went to the dressing room to change while Amanda walked to the door that led out to the parking lot. She leaned against the wall and waited for Patrick. While she was waiting, she couldn’t help but smile when she thought of how sweet Andrew had been to her. He was treating her like a good friend which made her feel less nervous about being around the players. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw someone approaching next to her. She looked over and saw Patrick who had a big smile on his face.

            “What?” she smiled.

            “Nothing. I’m just glad we get to have lunch.” He said and held his arm out for her.

            Amanda smiled and linked her arm with his and walked out to her car with him. “You know if you can’t get behind-the-bench seats, you don’t have to.” She said.

            “It’s not a problem, really. You’re welcome to bring a friend too, as long as it’s not a guy.” He smirked down at her.

            She felt butterflies as she looked up at him. “Oh, yeah?”

            “Yes.” He smiled and opened the driver’s side door for her. “M’lady.”

            Amanda smiled and got in, letting Patrick shut the door. When he got in on the other side, she started the car. “Well I asked Nicole and Evan if they wanted to do something this week, so I can bring one of them.” She said.

            “Bring them both. Wait, is Evan just a friend?” He asked, narrowing his eyes and trying to keep a straight face.

            Amanda giggled as she pulled out of the parking lot. “Yes he’s just a friend. Plus, I think he’s got eyes on Nicole.” She said.

            “So it’ll be a double date then.” Patrick smirked.

            “Double date?” she asked.

            “Well yeah, except your date will be on the ice.” He smiled.

            “True.” Amanda said trying to play along.

  The two drove to the pizza place and walked in to get a seat. When they sat down, Patrick excused himself to the bathroom. When he left, Amanda took her phone out and sent a text to Evan.

            _‘SOS. Remember how I said we were just good friends? Now I’m not so sure. He keeps saying we’re going on dates. Is that a friend thing? Why are guys so confusing? Should I make a move? HELP.’_

  When she shoved her phone back into her pocket, Patrick came back to the table and smiled. She smiled back at him and the pair ordered some food and talked. Throughout the entire lunch, Amanda kept feeling butterflies in her stomach. Was Patrick hinting at being more than friends? Maybe where he’s from, friends go on dates and get jealous of other guys. If she wasn’t confused before, she sure was now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of a filler chapter while I figure out what I want to keep in the story and what not to write in there.


	7. Chapter Seven

            Over the next two days, Patrick was fairly busy with practices and press appearances. Playoffs were getting closer and everyone wanted to know how the Blackhawks were managing to stay on top this season. Amanda talked with him every day whether it was through texts, phone calls, or skype. When Monday morning came, Amanda woke up and had an unexplainable nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach which usually meant an anxiety-filled day. She took a deep breath and tried to distract herself before it got blown out of proportion. She convinced herself that it was just nerves about her first game, and then checked her phone. While she was scrolling through her Facebook feed, Patrick’s picture popped up as her phone started to ring. She smiled and cleared her throat before answering.

            “Hello?” she said.

            “Good morning beautiful.” He said softly, a smile evident in his voice. “How did you sleep?” he asked.

            “I slept like a baby.” Amanda smiled. “How did you sleep?” she asked.

            “Well I was a little restless last night because I was excited for today.” He smiled.

            “Oh yeah? What’s today?” she asked joking.

            “Well this really amazing girl is going to watch me play live for the first time tonight.” Patrick smiled.

            Amanda felt herself blush. “Oh yeah?” she smiled. “Well she’s excited too.”

            He smiled. “I’m glad. I gotta get down to practice but I’ll text you later, okay?”

            “Alright I’ll talk to you later.” She smiled.

            “Bye Manda.” He said.

            “Bye.” She said and hung up.

  Interesting. He had never called her Manda before now. Maybe this was a sign that he was getting more comfortable with her? She shook it off and sent a text to Evan and Nicole telling them when to meet her at her house. She got in the shower and got dressed afterwards. As she was making some eggs and toast, she heard her phone ringing. She picked up without checking the screen to see who it was.

            “Hello?” she said, making her plate.

            “Hey lady, it’s Evan.” He said. “Do you want us to just come and hangout at your house until we leave? We’ve got nothing else to do today.”

            Amanda nodded. “Sure if you guys want to. I’m just eating breakfast now.” She said.

            “Okay, we’ll head over there in an hour or so.” He said.

            “Awesome.” She said.

            “Hey I was thinking about our conversation the other night. I think Patrick likes you and is hinting that he wants to move forward with you.” Evan said, referring to the text conversation he had with her while she was at Gino’s East with Patrick a few nights ago.

            “Really?” she asked. “Are you just messing with me?” she asked.

            “No I’m not just messing with you, I mean it.” He said. “I’ll be able to see him interacting with you tonight, and that will just prove that I’m right.” Evan smiled.

            Amanda smiled and shook her head. “Yeah sure.” She said. “I’ll see you when you get here.” She said.

            “Bye.” He smiled.

            “Bye.”

  She hung up the phone and ate her breakfast. She couldn’t help but think about what Evan had just told her. Evan is a guy, so he would probably know about what guys mean, right? She finished her food and put her plate away before getting ready to entertain Evan and Nicole for the next few hours before the game.

  A few hours later, Evan, Nicole, and Amanda were all hanging around Amanda’s house just talking and enjoying each other’s company. As they talked, the nervous feeling in Amanda’s stomach began to creep back up, but this time it was more prominent. She bit her bottom lip and tried to focus on the conversation to stay busy, but it wasn’t working this time. Evan noticed her change in demeanor, so he looked over at her.

            “Are you okay?” he asked.

            Amanda looked up. “Hm? Y-yeah I’m okay.” She lied.

            Nicole looked at her. “You don’t seem okay. Is it the anxiety?” she asked.

            Amanda took a breath. “I’ll be right back.” She said and walked upstairs to her room.

  When she got there, she sat on the end of her bed and bounced her leg nervously. She could feel the anxiety getting worse, and felt the beginnings of a full blown anxiety attack. She put a hand on her chest and tried taking deep breaths. As she tried breathing, Evan came upstairs with Nicole.

            “Everything okay?” Evan said softly.

            Nicole walked over to the bed. “We’ve gotta leave in about half an hour.” She said, trying to keep Amanda’s mind off of the anxiety.

            “I can’t breathe.” Amanda said softly. “I feel like I’m not breathing right.” She said softly.

            Evan walked over to her and knelt in front of her, holding her hands in his. “Amanda look at me.” He said softly.

            “I can’t.” she said softly, feeling tears pooling in her eyes. “Evan I can’t breathe.”

            “Hey, look at me. That’s all I’m asking you to do is look at me.” He said softly.

            Nicole went to the bathroom to get a wet washcloth for Amanda’s head.

            Amanda looked at Evan and felt her breathing quicken. “Evan I can’t.” she managed to choke out as tears fell from her eyes.

            He held her hands and looked up at her. “Just look at me and try to take deep breaths.” He said softly. “Breathe with me, hun.”

            Nicole walked over with the damp cloth. “Just take some deep breaths Amanda, you know how to do this.” She said softly and dabbed the cloth onto Amanda’s forehead.

            Amanda tried to steady her breathing but couldn’t get it to calm down. “I can’t.” she cried.

            Evan got up on his knees and held her face gently. “Just focus on me, nothing else, okay? Tell me about Gino’s the other night. What did you have to eat?” he asked.

            “P-pizza.” She said softly, sniffling in her tears.

            “Okay what kind of pizza?” he asked, rubbing her cheek gently.

            “Cheese and pepperoni.” She said softly. It might sound ridiculous to some, but trying to get her to focus on something else certainly helped.

            “What kind did Patrick have?” Evan asked.

            “Um, he had supreme I think.” She said and her breathing started to level out.

            Evan nodded and smiled softly. “Do you remember what Patrick was wearing?” he asked.

            Amanda smiled softly. “Um jeans and a black sweater.” She said.

            He nodded and smiled up at her. “Are you feeling a little better?” he asked.

            She nodded and took a deep breath. “I think so. I’ve had this all day.” She said.

            Nicole sat on the bed next to her. “Well we’ve gotta head out for the game.” She said.

            Amanda sighed softly and rubbed her forehead. “I don’t even want to think about that right now.” She mumbled.

  As if on cue, Amanda’s phone started ringing downstairs. She assumed it was Patrick calling to ask where she was. Evan got up and ran downstairs to answer the phone while Nicole sat with Amanda. He picked up as he headed back upstairs.

            “Hello?” Evan asked.

            “Hello?” Patrick said. “Is this Amanda’s phone?” he asked, slightly confused that a guy was answering her phone.

            “Yeah this is her phone, this is Evan.” He said. “She left her phone downstairs when she went up to her room.” He said, reentering the bedroom.

            “Oh okay, well is she there?” Patrick asked.

            “She’s right here I’ll see if she’s up to talking.” Evan said, forgetting that Patrick hadn’t dealt with Amanda’s anxiety.

            “If she’s up to it? Is she okay?” he asked.

            “She’s alright now, she had an anxiety attack and she’s calming down from that.” Evan said.

            “Anxiety attack?” Patrick asked concerned. “Can I talk to her?” he asked.

            “Yeah, hang on.” Evan said and moved the phone away from his ear. “Patrick wants to talk to you.”

            Amanda bit her bottom lip and took the phone from Evan. “Hello?” she said softly.

            “Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?” Patrick asked softly.

            “I’m alright now, I’m just tired.” She said softly. “I’ll try to get back to normal so I can make it.” She said.

            “Amanda, if you’re worn out or still not sure how you feel, stay home tonight okay?” Patrick said. “I don’t want you to come here if you don’t feel up to it, hun.” He said.

            “Patrick I don’t wanna let you down and I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to another game.” She said.

            “You’re never going to let me down, Manda.” He smiled. “I want you to take care of yourself, okay? Why don’t you see how you feel and if you want to come during the game, you can; if not, stay home and rest okay?” Patrick said.

            Amanda smiled softly. “Okay. I’m really sorry about all of this Patrick, I wanted to go so bad, I still do.” She said.

            “Don’t be sorry sweetie, you can’t control when you have anxiety issues.” He said. “I have to go warm up, but I’ll call and check in on you after the first period, okay?” Patrick said.

            She smiled again. “Okay.” She said. “Good luck out there tonight.” She said.

            “Thank you, hun. Get some rest.” He said.

            “I will. Bye.” She said.

            “Bye.”

  She hung up the phone and shook her head some, looking at the phone. How was he so accepting of all of this? Most people who found out about her anxiety would run for the hills at the first sign of an issue. Patrick was not only understanding, but trying to help her out with it. She smiled to herself and looked up at Evan who had a smirk on his face.

            “What?” Amanda asked.

            “Nothin.” Evan smiled. “What do you wanna do hun?” he asked.

            She told him what Patrick said and then shrugged some. “I think I’ll just wait and see what happens.” She said.

            Evan nodded. “Okay. Well let’s turn the game on downstairs and we can relax a bit, then we’ll see how you feel after the first period, okay?”

            She nodded and stood up slowly.

  Amanda, Nicole, and Evan all headed downstairs and sat on the couch together. Evan turned the game on and leaned back. Amanda couldn’t help but smile when the camera showed Patrick on the ice. Evan and Nicole definitely noticed as Amanda lit up whenever they showed him. After a little while, Amanda ended up dozing off on Evan’s shoulder. He let her sleep and told Nicole she could go home while he made sure Amanda was alright.

            Amanda woke up about an hour after the game was over. She was in her bed and under the blanket, so she assumed that Evan must have carried her to bed. She sat up and looked around some. “Evan? What time is it?” she asked frantically.

            “It’s about eleven.” Evan said, walking into the room.

            “I missed the game! I need to call Patrick and…” she started.

            “You don’t have to call him.” Evan said and stepped to the side.

            She looked up at the doorway of her room and saw Patrick stepping in. “Patrick.” She said softly.

            He smiled at her. “Hey.” He said softly. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

            “I’m okay…I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it to the game. I was going to see how I felt, but I guess I fell asleep.” Amanda said.

            “Don’t worry about it, your body needed rest.” Patrick said. “Evan called me and told me everything, so I told him I’d come over and see you.” he said.

            Amanda smiled and looked at Evan. “Thank you.” she said.

            Evan nodded and smiled. “I’m gonna head home, I’ve got an early start at the bar tomorrow.” He said and walked over to Amanda, giving her a hug. “Take care of yourself okay?”

            Amanda nodded and hugged him back. “Night.” She said.

  Evan waved to her and shook Patrick’s hand before heading downstairs and going to his car to drive home. Amanda pushed her hair back and felt a little embarrassed that Patrick was seeing her like this; hair a bit messy, curled up in her bed.

            “How about you go get some pajamas on, and get comfortable?” Patrick said.

            Amanda smiled softly and nodded. “Okay.” She said and went into her closet to grab some pajamas, then to the bathroom to change. She changed into flannel pajama pants and a white t-shirt, putting her hair up into a messy bun. She walked back out of the bathroom and saw Patrick sitting on her bed in sweatpants and a Blackhawks t-shirt. “You brought pajamas?” she asked.

            He looked up and smiled at her. “Well Evan told me that when you have days like this, you don’t like to be alone all night. If you’re okay with it, I’ll stay with you tonight.” He said.

            Amanda felt her heart flutter as she walked over to the bed. “I am definitely okay with that.” She said and crawled into bed behind him. She laid back and got underneath the covers, looking up at Patrick.

            He scooted back and laid next to her, but stayed above the blanket. “I don’t want to crowd you.” he said.

            She smiled up at him. “You’re not crowding me.” She said. “We’ve been under the same blanket before.” She said.

            Patrick smiled and nodded. “Good point.” He said and got under the blanket with her. He laid on his side to face her. “Evan told me what to do in case you have another attack.” He said softly.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “Good.” She said and looked over at him. “Thank you for all of this. I am going to make tonight up to you.”

            He smirked at her. “You don’t have to make anything up.” He said and rubbed her cheek gently. “As long as you’re okay, I’m happy.” He said.

            She smiled and nodded. “How are you even real?” she asked, joking.

            “Well when a mom and a dad love each other…” he started, trying to keep a straight face.

            “No, okay I get it.” Amanda giggled and put her finger against his lips.

            He smiled against her finger and kissed the tip gently. “Get some rest, okay? You’ve had a long day.”

            Amanda smiled and nodded. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and snuggled up to Patrick. “Goodnight Patrick.” She said softly.

            He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head gently. “Goodnight Amanda.” He smiled and closed his eyes.

  She closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat. Before she knew it, she was drifting off to sleep feeling relaxed for the first time that day.


	8. Chapter Eight

The next morning, Amanda woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon being cooked downstairs. She stretched in bed and noticed that Patrick wasn’t next to her anymore. She sat up and yawned before checking her phone and seeing that she had a missed call from Evan. She called him back and waited for him to answer.

            “Hello?” his voice came from you the other end.

            “Hey sorry I missed your call, I was sleeping.” Amanda said.

            “That’s fine. How did last night go? Did you have any issues after I left?” Evan asked.

            “Last night was fine, Patrick took great care of me.” She smiled. “I didn’t have any issues at all.” She added. She felt a strange sense of calmness with Patrick, and whenever he was around, she felt like she could do anything. It sounded crazy, but she felt like Patrick made her anxieties go away. Of course, she wasn’t going to tell Evan that, or at least not yet.

            “That’s good.” He smiled. “That guy cares about you a lot, Amanda.”

            “He’s sweet, it’s in his nature.” She said.

            “No, I mean it Amanda; he really truly cares about you. Remember yesterday when I told you that I thought he wants to move forward with you?” Evan asked.

            “Yes.” She said feeling butterflies.

            “Well I think it’s true. He likes you, I can tell.” He said.

            Amanda was quiet for a moment as she processed what Evan was saying.

            “Hey, I gotta go, there’s a group coming in. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” he said.

            “Okay, bye Evan.” She said.

  She hung up the phone and set it on the bed next to her. Evan told her that he would never lie to her, so why would he do that now? When she really thought about it, Patrick did act like he liked her, but what if the age difference deterred him from the idea of being a couple? She put her face in her hands and groaned, trying to get her thoughts to turn off for just a minute.

            “Hey, are you alright?” Patrick asked, standing in the doorway.

            Amanda looked up at him and smiled softly. “I’m fine.” She said. “Just waking up.” She added.

            He smiled and nodded. “Okay.” He said and walked over to her, sitting in front of her on the bed. “Breakfast is almost done, I made eggs, bacon, and some toast.” He said.

            She smiled over at him and nodded. “Thank you.” she said.

            “No problem.” He smirked. “Do you want me to bring it up here?” he asked.

            “I’ll come downstairs.” She said. “You know you didn’t have to do all of this.” She added.

            “I know, but I wanted to.” He said and put his hand on her knee. “I made you a promise on the first night we met.” He said softly.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “You did.” She said.

            “Any time, day or night, if you need me I’m there.” He said.

            She smiled and nodded, feeling the butterflies again. “Thank you.” she said.

            “Not a problem.” He smirked. “Let’s get downstairs and eat.” He said.

  Patrick stood up and walked down to the kitchen with Amanda. She sat at the table while Patrick made them each a plate. He brought hers over first and then set his down before grabbing the orange juice from the fridge and pouring them each a glass. They both ate their food and Amanda helped Patrick with the clean-up. After they were finished, Patrick’s phone started ringing.

            “Excuse me.” He said and grabbed it off of the counter, seeing it was Andrew. “Hey Shawzy. Yeah I’m still here, why? Yeah, I’ll ask.” Patrick said and then turned the phone away from him, looking at Amanda. “Andrew wants to talk to you.” he said.

            Amanda looked up at him and nodded. “Okay.” She said and took the phone from Patrick. “Hello?”

            “Hey how are you?” Andrew asked.

            “I’m alright.” She said.

            “Patrick said you were having some problems, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He said.

            Amanda smiled. “Yeah I’m okay now. It’s sweet of you to make sure I’m good.”

            “Well I hate seeing good people struggle.” He said. “I have to get into the gym or I’ll never go, but I’m glad you’re okay.” He smiled.

            “Me too. Thanks for calling.” She said.

            “No problem. Bye.” Andrew said and hung up.

  Amanda hung up the phone and handed it back to Patrick. She couldn’t help but smile at the fact that Andrew wanted to make sure she was okay. How sweet was that?

            “That was nice of him.” She said.

            “Yeah, he’s a good guy.” Patrick smiled. “I should probably head to the gym and then I’ve got a few interviews to do. If you need me to, I can stay, though.” He said.

            Amanda smiled up at him. “Thank you for that, but I’m alright. You go work hard and answer those questions.” She smirked.

            Patrick chuckled and nodded. “Oh I will.” He said.

  He went upstairs and got changed back into his clothes from the night before. When he came back downstairs, Amanda was waiting on the couch to say goodbye to him. He walked over to her and smiled down at her.

            “Come here.” He said holding his arms open.

            Amanda smiled up at him and stood up, wrapping her arms around his waist and letting his arms wrap around her. “Thank you so much, Patrick. I can’t explain how much this all means to me.” She said.

            Patrick smiled and rubbed her back gently. “Hey, it’s not a problem. When you care about someone, you do anything for them.” He said, looking down at her.

            With the last sentence, Amanda felt butterflies. He really did care about her. “Well if you need anything, just let me know okay? This caring stuff goes both ways.” She smiled.

            He smiled and nodded. “I know.” He said and walked to the door to get his shoes on. When he got them on, he looked at the wall for a minute before looking at Amanda, as if he remembered something. “You know what, there might be something you could do for me.” He smiled.

            She looked at him and nodded, getting his duffle for him. “Name it.” She said.

            “Well there’s a charity event next weekend for Keith’s charity. There’s a dinner and then some dancing and stuff afterward. I know Evan said that you’re not really into huge crowded events, so if you don’t want to go I totally understand.” He said.

            Amanda smiled and bit her bottom lip gently. “Well you’ll be there, right?” she asked. When Patrick nodded, she smiled. “Then I’ll be just fine.” She said.

            He smiled and nodded. “Well then, Amanda Roberts, will you do me the pleasure of being my date then?” he asked her.

            The butterflies started fluttering in her stomach again. “I would be honored.” She smiled.

            Patrick smiled and nodded. “Great.” He said. “It’s kind of a formal event, so if you need to get a dress or an outfit, just let me know and I can take you shopping for something.” He offered, taking the duffle bag from her.

            “I’ll see what I can throw together.” She smiled. “Thank you again Patrick.” She said.

            “You’re welcome.” He smiled and opened the door. “I’ll call you later, okay? If you need anything just call.” He said.

            “I will.” She smiled. “Drive safe, okay?” she said.

            “I always drive safe.” He winked. “See you soon, Manda.” He said and leaned in, kissing her cheek gently.

            Amanda smiled and looked up at him. “See you soon, Patrick.” She said.

            “Bye.” He smiled and headed to his car.

            “Bye.” She said and watched as he pulled away.

  As soon as she lost sight of him, Amanda ran up the stairs to get to her phone. She immediately sent a group text to Evan and Nicole.

            _‘HE ASKED ME TO BE HIS DATE TO AN EVENT! He even said he’d buy my outfit if I needed him to. I can’t handle all of this you guys, he’s too perfect. He kissed my cheek when he left and every time he gets near me I get butterflies. How is he even real?’_ she sent.

  After she sent the text, she realized that she may have gotten a little too excited, so she sent an apology for getting so excited.

            _‘Don’t apologize for being in love, Panda.’_ Evan sent.

            ‘ _What he said! We’re so going shopping!’_ Nicole replied.

  Amanda read the texts and smiled at her phone, before she stared at Evan’s text. Being in love? Was she actually in love with Patrick? She wasn’t sure if she had ever been in love before, so she had nothing to compare it too. He gave her butterflies, he calmed her down, he cared about her, and he made her laugh. Whenever he was around, she could feel herself getting happier, and when he was away, she missed him terribly. Maybe this really was love. The only question she had now was if he felt the same way.


	9. Chapter Nine

            Amanda walked around the mall with Nicole, a smoothie in her hand. They were on the hunt for the perfect outfit for Keith’s charity event. Nothing had really struck Amanda’s eye, so they continued to look. They went into one of the department stores and started looking around.

            “I’m not even into fashion, Nicole, how am I supposed to know what will look good or not?” Amanda asked, browsing through the racks.

            “Well as long as you look smokin’ hot, it’ll be fine.” She smirked.

            Amanda shook her head and smiled. “You’re not helping me.” She said. “I don’t want to look too sexy, but I’d like to look good. I don’t want him or anyone else to think that I’m trying too hard.” She explained.

            “No one will think that.” Nicole said. “Here, try these.” She said, handing a few dresses to Amanda.

  She took them in her arms and walked into a dressing room to try them on. After trying them on and going through a few different outfits, she finally came to a decision. She walked out of the dressing room and did a twirl for Nicole.

            “I think this is the one.” She smiled. She was wearing a short, light blue, strapless party dress. It went a little bit above the knee and fit her body perfectly.

            “He is going to lose his mind when he sees you like this.” Nicole smiled.

            Amanda blushed and looked in the mirror. “You don’t think this is too much? I’m showing a lot of skin.” She said, looking at her bare shoulders.

            “Amanda, you’re twenty-two years old, you’re allowed to show some skin. If it’ll make you feel better, get a jacket to go over it just in case.” Nicole said.

            She nodded and smiled. “I like this dress a lot.” She said.

            “Patrick will too.” Nicole smirked.

  Amanda smirked, rolling her eyes and went into the dressing room to change. She got the dress, a pair of white flats, and grabbed a black leather jacket just in case. The girls both walked to the car and as soon as they got in, Amanda’s phone started ringing.

            She looked at the phone and smiled, answering. “Hello?”

            “Hey, how was shopping?” Patrick asked, smiling on the other end.

            “It was great. I’ve got an outfit picked out and now we’re heading to lunch. How was practice today?” she asked.

            Nicole drove out of the mall parking lot, smirking.

            “It was good, but tiring.” He smirked. “So do I get to see the dress?” he asked sweetly.

            “I want it to be a surprise.” Amanda smiled. “I’ll send a sneak peek.” She teased.

            “Works for me.” He smiled. “If you’re on your way to lunch now, maybe you can stop by. We’re all still here, getting changed and stretched.” He suggested.

            Amanda smiled and bit her bottom lip. “I’ll ask.” She said and looked at Nicole. “Do you want to stop at the arena before lunch to say hi?”

            Nicole smiled and nodded. “I would absolutely love to.” She said.

            Amanda nodded. “Alright we’ll head over there now. Do you want us to park in front or back?”

            “You can park in back; I’ll tell them you’re coming.” Patrick smiled.

            “Okay well I’ll see you then.” She said.

            “Great. Bye.”

            “Bye.” She smiled and hung up.

  Nicole smirked and drove, excited to meet the rest of the team. Nicole had been a big Kane fan, so she was ecstatic. While they drove, Amanda took a picture of the dress, but close enough to where you could only see the color of it. She text it to Patrick and smiled to herself when he replied.

            _‘You are going to look absolutely stunning in that color. : )_ ’ he replied.

  Amanda smiled and felt the butterflies acting up again. As they pulled into the lot, the man at the gate waved them in, recognizing Amanda. Nicole pulled in and parked in an open spot. The girls got out and walked to the team entrance where Patrick was standing and waiting for them. When he saw them, he smiled and held his arms out.

            “There she is.” He smiled.

            Amanda smiled and hugged him. “How are you?”

            “I’m good now.” He smiled.

            She pulled away and felt her cheeks turning pink. “This is Nicole; you’ve met her once or twice.”

            “It’s nice to meet again, Nicole.” Patrick smiled.

            “You too.” She smiled.

  Patrick walked both girls inside and to the rec room where the team was. Nicole nudged Amanda’s arm as she noticed Patrick Kane on the bench press. Amanda smiled and shook her head some.

            “This is where we work out and goof off.” Patrick smiled.

            Amanda nodded and smiled. “This is a nice setup.” She said.

            “Well thank you, darlin’.” He smirked.

            “Amanda!” an excited voice came from the door behind the girls. Andrew.

            Amanda turned and smiled, seeing him. “Hey, how are you?” she asked, giving him a hug.

            “I’m great, how are you?” he asked, hugging her back.

            “I’m good.” She smiled. “This is my best friend Nicole.” She said.

            Nicole smiled and held her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you.”

            Andrew smiled and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you too, I’m Andrew.” He said. “Did you girls come to work out or to see the gun show?” he winked.

            Patrick laughed and shook his head. “They just came for a visit.” He said. “They’re on their way to lunch now.”

            Nicole nodded and smiled.

            “Well I’ll at least see you at the charity event, right?” Andrew asked, poking Amanda’s side when he said “you”.

            She smiled and nodded. “Yes you will.” She said.

            “Good.” He smiled. “I have to run off some energy, you girls enjoy your lunch.” He said and went off to the treadmill.

            “Andrew having extra energy? Say it ain’t so.” Patrick teased, earning a light shove from his teammate.

            Nicole looked over just in time to see Patrick Kane headed their way with a towel over his shoulder. Her breath hitched, and she let out an involuntary squeak, causing Amanda and Patrick to look at her.

            Kane smiled and walked over. “Hey, how’s it goin’?” he asked.

            “Good.” Amanda smiled. “Did you have a nice work out?” she asked.

            “I did, and now I’m ready for a nice shower.” He joked. “Who’s your friend?” he asked.

            “I’m Nicole.” She smiled, holding her hand out. “You’re my favorite player.” She blurted out.

            Kane smiled and shook her hand gently. “Well thank you, it’s nice to meet you Nicole. Maybe I’ll see you at a game some time.”

            “You will.” She smiled.

            “See you girls soon.” He smiled and walked to the dressing room to change.

            Patrick smiled and looked at Amanda. “Well I won’t keep you too long, but I’m glad I got to see you.” he said and hugged her.

            She hugged back and smiled. “I’m glad I got to see you too. Enjoy your stretching and your work out.” She said.

            “Enjoy your lunch.” He smiled pulling away. “Bye Nicole.”

            “Bye Sharp.” Nicole smiled.

  The girls walked out of the room and headed back to Nicole’s car. The whole way to the restaurant, Nicole was talking about Kane and trying to figure out what each of his words and movements meant. Amanda tried to help her out, giggling at Nicole’s complete freak out over him. During lunch, the girls talked about things other than Kane, like their favorite T.V shows, and what they had planned for the week ahead. After they were both finished eating, Nicole drove Amanda home, pulling into the driveway.

            “Thanks for spending the day with me.” Nicole smiled.

            “Thanks for dragging me around.” Amanda joked.

            Nicole smiled and nodded. “Well you got an outfit and got to see your men.” She winked.

            Amanda smiled. “Men?”

            “Sharp and Andrew.” Nicole said.

            “Andrew?” she asked. “Why would you say Andrew?”

            “Oh please, I saw the way he was with you. He totally has a crush on you.” Nicole smiled.

            “He does not; he’s just a nice guy.” Amanda smiled.

            “Well don’t shut out the possibility, he’s more your age anyway.” Nicole said.

            Amanda looked at her and her smile dropped. “My age?” she asked.

            Nicole shrugged some. “Patrick is how many years older than you?”

            “Why does that suddenly matter? You were the one pushing this.” Amanda reminded her.

            “I’m just saying, maybe Andrew would be a better match for you. Patrick is an older guy and they tend to go for girls with experience. Plus, what are the fans going to say to a girl half his age dating him?” Nicole asked.

            “You are unbelievable, Nicole.” She said and got her bag.

            “I’m just trying to look out for my friend.” Nicole said. “Maybe Patrick isn’t right for you. He hasn’t even made a move yet and it’s been how long? He just wants you for show.” She blurted out.

            “Goodnight Nicole.” Amanda said, holding in tears as she exited the car. She walked inside and slammed the door before Nicole could say anything else.

  She dropped the bags on the couch and sat on the last stair, holding her head in her hands. How could Nicole say those things? She was the one who wanted Amanda to pursue Patrick so badly in the first place. Why does the age difference suddenly matter now? Patrick didn’t seem to mind it, or at least he didn’t say anything. Maybe he did mind it, and maybe he was just using her for show.

            “No, that’s not true.” Amanda mumbled to herself. “Don’t let her get to you.” she said softly and headed upstairs to get pajamas on.

  She spent the rest of the night watching movies, and when dinnertime rolled around, she made herself some macaroni and cheese. Before she went to bed, she took a big step for her and called Patrick.

            “Hello?” he said.

            “Hey, it’s me.” She said softly.

            “I know it’s you.” he smiled. “What’s up? Is everything okay?” he asked.

            “Yeah everything’s fine.” Amanda said and then sighed. “Well not everything.” She said.

            “What’s wrong? Do you need me to come over?” he asked, worry filling his voice.

            “No it’s okay.” She said. “Nicole and I just had a fight because of some things she said.” She explained. “It got me thinking which led me to start worrying and doubting, so I thought I would just call you and ask you myself.” She said.

            “Ask me anything, hun.” Patrick said.

            She took a deep breath and then closed her eyes as she asked. “Does the age difference between us bother you?” she asked, almost too fast to be understood.

            Patrick paused for a moment to process what she said. “Not at all.” He said. “Does it bother you?” he asked.

            “No not in the slightest.” She said. “I just kind of worried about that a little, but you hadn’t said anything. Then Nicole started saying stuff and getting into my head about it all.” She said.

            “As long as you’re comfortable, I’m comfortable. You’re a great young woman and I love to spend time with you. You’ve become a really great friend to me and I’m glad that I can say that.” He said sincerely.

            She smiled and bit her bottom lip. “I’m glad that I can say that too.” She said. “I’m sorry for calling, it was just really bothering me.” She said softly.

            “Don’t apologize; I’m glad you came to me about it. Is there anything else you wanna talk about?” he asked.

            “No that was it.” She said. “Thank you for understanding, Patrick.”

            “That’s what I’m here for.” He smiled. “Get some sleep, okay? I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

            “Okay. Goodnight, Patrick.” She smiled.

            “Goodnight.” He smiled.

  They both hung up and Amanda got snuggled up in bed. She felt a big weight off of her, now that she had talked to Patrick. She knew that he was okay with this and that he was being real with her. Now she definitely couldn’t wait for the charity event.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to include a picture of the outfit that Amanda wears to the event. I'm bad at describing clothing, so I figured a visual would be better. :)

 

            Amanda got out of the shower and slid on her white robe to do her makeup. She put on a light layer of makeup and then got changed into the outfit she bought for the event. Once she got dressed, she curled her hair and then put it into a low bun, leaving some strands of hair loose. She put on a silver bracelet and slid on her white flats. She grabbed the leather jacket she bought and went downstairs to wait for Patrick to pick her up. As she waited, she thought about how much closer she had gotten to Patrick, and contemplated whether or not he felt the same way. As she got lost in her thoughts, there was a knock at the door which made her stomach drop down to her feet. She got up and took a deep breath before she opened the door.

            Patrick stood on the doorstep wearing black dress pants, a white button up shirt and a dark gray suit jacket over it. He smiled at Amanda and stared at her for a moment. “Wow.” He said softly.

            She blushed and bit her bottom lip. “Is this too much?” she asked, playing with the bracelet on her wrist.

            “No, no it’s great. You look beautiful.” He smiled.

            Her blush darkened as she smiled. “Thank you.” she said softly. “Ready to go?” she asked, sliding the leather jacket on since it was a little chilly.

            “Almost.” He smiled. “I got something for you.” he said and handed her a flat square box.

            “Patrick, you didn’t have to do that.” She smiled.

            “I know, but I wanted to.” He said. “Open it.” He smiled.

            Amanda opened the box and saw a silver cross necklace with small diamonds on it. “Oh my…Patrick this is beautiful.” She said softly.

            “I thought you might like it.” He smiled. “Here.” He said and took the necklace out and unclasped it. He put it around her neck and clasped it behind her, stepping closer to her.

            Amanda’s breath hitched in her throat as she realized just how close he was. Now would be the perfect time for a kiss, she thought. Maybe later.

            He got the necklace clasped and smiled down at her, stepping back. “There you go.” He said.

            “Thank you.” she smiled.

            “Ready?” he asked, holding his arm out.           

            “Ready.” She smiled and hooked her arm with his.

  Patrick drove them both to the event center where the charity event was being held. In the front hallway there was a red carpet set up where journalists and photographers could get pictures of the arriving players. Patrick walked up to the door and looked at Amanda before he opened it.

            “There’s going to be people taking a lot of pictures when we get in there. Are you okay with that? I can have someone come get you and take you in another doorway.” He said.

            Amanda smiled up at him, appreciating the fact that he was looking out for her. “I’ll be okay.” She said. “As long as you’re there.” She added.

            He smiled and nodded. “Always am.” He winked.

  He held her hand and walked her inside. He rubbed the back of her hand gently and walked the carpet with her, smiling for pictures and talking to a few of the interviewers. Amanda smiled for the pictures and made sure she wasn’t in the way of the interviews. One of the interviewers, a woman in her late twenties, finished up her questions with Patrick and then smiled at Amanda.

            “So how long have you two been together?” she asked.

            Amanda’s cheeks went pink and she smiled shyly. “Oh we’re not dating.” She said softly. “Just good friends.” She smiled.

            “Very good friends.” Patrick smiled.

            “Well sorry for assuming.” The interviewer said. “You two would make a beautiful couple.” She smiled.

            “Well, maybe someday.” He smiled and looked down at Amanda.

            Amanda smiled up at him and felt the butterflies in her stomach start up again.

            “Well thank you for talking to me, enjoy the event.” The interviewer smiled.

            “Thank you.” Patrick said and led Amanda into the main room where everyone was.

  The room was decorated beautifully and there were tables for people to sit and eat. There was a DJ from a Chicago radio station, and a large dance floor. Amanda looked around and picked out a few familiar faces, and some she didn’t know. Patrick put his hand on the small of her back and walked her over towards a table with their names on the placemats.

            “Looks like we’ll be eating with Shawzy and Tazer.” Patrick said, reading the other nametags.

            Amanda nodded and smiled. “Did they bring dates?” she asked.

            “I think so.” Patrick said. “I’m gonna go get a drink, what would you like?” he asked.

            “Um, something non-alcoholic.” She smiled.

            “You got it.” He winked and walked over to the bar at the back of the room.

  Amanda took her jacket off and draped it over the back of her chair. She looked around some more and found some more familiar faces. As she was looking around, Jonathan walked up to the table with a girl who Amanda assumed was his girlfriend.

            “Hey, Amanda.” He smiled. “Where’s Sharp?”

            “He went to get us some drinks.” She smiled.

            “What a gentleman.” He smiled. “Amanda, this is my girlfriend Lindsey, Lindsey, this is Amanda.” He said.

            “It’s nice to meet you.” Lindsey smiled and shook Amanda’s hand.

            “It’s nice to meet you too.” She smiled.

            Patrick walked over with a beer in one hand and a glass of strawberry lemonade in the other. “Here’s your drink, miss.” He smiled.

            “Thank you, sir.” Amanda smiled and took the glass.

            “Hey Jonathan, hey Lindsey.” Patrick smiled and hugged them both. “Have you been introduced?” he asked.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “Yeah we met.” She said, taking a drink of her lemonade.

            “Has anyone seen Shawzy?” Jonathan asked.

            “No, not yet.” Patrick said and put his hand on Amanda’s back gently. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” He said and then turned to Amanda. “Do you want to come with me to make appearances, or do you want to wait here?” he asked her.

            “She can sit here with me.” Lindsey spoke up. “It took me a while to get used to these things.” She smiled.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “Thank you.” she said and looked at Patrick. “I’ll wait here.”

            “Okay, I’ll be back shortly.” He said and kissed her temple before he walked away with Jonathan.

  Amanda felt the butterflies starting to flutter again when Patrick’s lips touched her head. He really just kissed her head while they were in public. Was this his way of making a move? She shook the thoughts from her head and talked with Lindsey who sat across from her. They started to really hit it off, and Lindsey really helped Amanda feel more relaxed. As they were talking, a pair of hands covered Amanda’s eyes and a voice came from behind her.

            “Guess who.” The familiar voice spoke. Shaw.

            “Is it a feisty hockey player?” she asked smiling.

            “How’d you know?” Andrew said, uncovering her eyes and stepping to the side of her chair.

            Amanda smiled and stood up to give him a hug. “I just know you too well.” She joked. She hugged him and smiled.

            He returned the hug and smiled at her. “You look absolutely gorgeous.” He said.            

            “Thank you, Shawzy. You clean up pretty well yourself.” She teased. “Where’s your date?” she asked.

            “I’m flying solo tonight.” He smiled. “Where’s yours?” he asked.

            “Right here.” Patrick’s voice came from behind Amanda. “What’s up, Shawzy?” he asked, hugging his teammate.

            “Just came to say hello and find my place.” He said and looked at the table. “Which is right here.” He smirked.

            “They’re bringing dinner out in a few minutes so we can have a seat.” Patrick smiled.

  He pulled out Amanda’s chair and then sat next to her. Andrew saw on her other side, then Jonathan, then Lindsey. The dinner was brought out and everyone ate and talked with each other. When dinner was finished and the plates were cleared, the music started and people started to dance. The group at Amanda’s table still kept the conversation going amongst each other.

            “So how long have you and Patrick been together?” Lindsey asked.

            Amanda smiled and felt the blush start up again. “Oh, we’re not together, we’re just good friends.” She said.

            “Oh I’m sorry.” Lindsey said. “You guys look like a cute couple.” She smiled.

            “You’re the second person to say that to us tonight.” Patrick smiled. “Maybe we should just start dating.” He teased.

            “Oh definitely.” Amanda smiled, trying not to seem as excited as she really was.

  The conversation kept going until Andrew split away from the table to talk to some interviewers, and Jonathan took Lindsey to the dance floor. Amanda and Patrick talked more until the DJ played ‘All of Me’ by John Legend.

            “Oh, I love this song.” Amanda smiled.

            Patrick smiled and looked over at her before he stood up and held his hand out. “May I have this dance?” he asked her.

            Amanda looked up at him and smiled, taking his hand gently. “Yes, you may.” She said.

            Patrick smiled and walked her to the dance floor, then stopped at a good spot. He wrapped his arm around Amanda’s waist, and held her other hand gently.

            Amanda wrapped her arm around his neck and held his other hand. She smiled up at him and danced with him slowly. “You’re a great hockey player, and a great dancer?” she teased.

            He smiled down at her. “I like to have some secrets.” He winked.

            “Well what other secrets are you hiding?” she asked, smirking at him.

            He smiled and shrugged gently. “I don’t know if it’s a secret, but I happen to think you’re the most beautiful girl in this whole room.” He said softly.

            Amanda smiled and felt the butterflies again as the blush on her cheeks got darker. “You’re too sweet.” She said.

            Patrick smiled. “So are you.” he said.

  They danced through the whole song, and then danced to a few other songs. They talked to people and mingled before the party started to die down. Patrick helped Amanda get her jacket on before they said goodbye to Jonathan, Lindsey, and Andrew. Patrick held Amanda’s waist as they walked to his car. They got in and he held her hand the whole drive back to Amanda’s house. When they got there, he walked her to her door, holding her hand the entire time. As they got to the door, she turned and faced him, smiling up at him.

            “Well here’s my stop.” She said.

            “Thank you for coming with me tonight. I had a lot of fun with you.” Patrick smiled.

            “I had a lot of fun too. We’ll have to do it again some time.” She said.

            “Definitely.” He smiled. “I’ll let you get inside and get to bed.” He said.

            “You get some rest too.” She said and hugged him.

            He hugged her tight and smiled. “I will.” He said and pulled back, but kept her close.

            Something told her to kiss him right there. She leaned up and at the last second, she chickened out. She pressed her lips to his cheek and gave him a gentle kiss there. “Goodnight, Patrick.” She said softly.

            “Goodnight, Manda.” He smiled softly. There was a bit of sadness in his face, and Amanda wondered if it was because she didn’t kiss him.

  Amanda walked inside and shut the door behind her. She sighed and took her jacket off. She had the perfect chance to kiss him right there, and judging by his behavior, he wanted her to take that chance. Too bad she chickened out. At least the night went well, and they seemed to be getting closer. Maybe this was a step in the right direction.

 Patrick got into his car and sighed to himself, rubbing his face gently. He wanted her to kiss him, and part of him wanted to initiate the kiss himself. However, he didn’t want to scare her away or move too fast for her. He took a deep breath and headed home. Both Amanda and Patrick went to bed that night wondering what could have been if they would have just kissed.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got to the end of writing this and realized that game five was an away game. I almost just left it, but I rewrote some things to make it make sense. Enjoy!

            Over the next week or so, Amanda and Patrick’s communication picked up to the point where they were talking almost all day every day. They would hangout when they could, and if they couldn’t hangout, they would skype. They continued to get closer, and Amanda credited that to the near-kiss after the charity event.

  It was a Friday night, and Amanda was out at dinner with Evan in Tampa. It was an away game, so she flew with Evan to Florida for the game. She hadn’t talked to Nicole since their shopping day, so she was glad that Evan still talked to her. They ordered their food and Amanda leaned back in her seat.

            “Thank you for coming with me, Evan. I probably would have lost my mind on a plane by myself.” She said.

            Evan smiled and nodded. “I wouldn’t want you to go alone, Amanda. I’m here for ya.” he said. “Plus, someone has to wipe up the drool when you watch Sharp.” He joked.

            Amanda smiled and nudged his arm. “Shut up.” She blushed.

            “How’s all of that going, anyway?” Evan asked as their food came.

            “It’s going great.” She said. “Ever since the charity event, we’ve been talking almost nonstop.” She smiled.

            “Maybe he’ll kiss you at the game tomorrow.” Evan smirked.

            “Maybe he’ll be too focused on the game.” Amanda smirked back and ate with him.

  The two of them ate their dinner and talked more about life and the game tomorrow. Amanda couldn’t help but get excited; she was finally going to see Patrick play live, and she couldn’t be more thrilled. After dinner, Amanda paid for both of them and she and Evan went back to their hotel rooms. When she got her pajamas on, she heard her phone ringing and saw Patrick’s picture on the screen.

            She smiled as she answered it, sitting on her bed. “Hello?”

            “Hey gorgeous.” He smiled. “How was dinner?” he asked.

            “It went great.” Amanda smiled. “Evan said he’ll come with me so I won’t be sitting alone tomorrow.”

            “Good.” Patrick smiled. “I’m kinda nervous for you to see me play.” He teased.

            “I’ll try not to make too many funny faces.” She smiled, joking. “What time do you want us to be over there?” she asked.

            “Well the warm-up stuff is kind of boring, so you can probably get there about an hour or two before the game starts. We can get a bite to eat at the arena and relax beforehand.” Patrick said.

            “That sounds perfect.” She smiled. “You guys are going to kill it out there.” She said.

            “Only because you’ll be there.” He smiled.

            Amanda blushed and shook her head. “If you say so.” She smiled. “I’m gonna get some sleep, you rest up too.”

            “I will.” He smiled. “Sweet dreams, Manda.” He said.

            “Back at ya, Sharpie.” She smiled. “Night.”

            “Night.” He smiled and hung up.

  Amanda plugged her phone in and curled up under her blanket, falling asleep rather quickly.

  The next day, Evan came over to Amanda’s room with brunch for the both of them. They ate and got ready for the game, talking as they went along. About half an hour before they were supposed to leave, Amanda got changed. She put on a pair of black skinny jeans, a white tank top and a red, off the shoulder, long sleeve shirt. She let her hair down and straight and had a little bit of makeup on. She came out of the bathroom and put on her black boots, then grabbed the leather jacket she bought for the event. She slid it on and looked at Evan.

            “Is this too much?” she asked.

            “You look cute.” He smiled.

            “Just cute?” Amanda asked, smiling softly.

            “Well I can’t say anything else, Patrick would kick my ass.” He smirked.

            Amanda smiled and shook her head. “Let’s go, you goob.” She said and walked to the car with him.

  Evan drove them to the arena and pulled into the team lot, where Patrick told them to park. He parked the car and then walked with Amanda to the team’s entrance. Amanda called Patrick and told him that they were there. She hung up and stood with Evan, taking a deep breath.

            “Hey, you made it here.” Evan smiled. “You’re going to do just fine.” He reminded her.

            Amanda looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you.” she said.

            The door opened and Patrick stood there in some athletic shorts and a grey Blackhawks t-shirt. He smiled and held his arms out for Amanda.

            “You made it.” He smiled.

            Amanda smiled and hugged him. “I did.” She smiled.

            Patrick smiled and pulled back, but kept an arm around Amanda’s shoulders. “Hey Evan.” He smiled.”

            “Hey.” Evan smiled.

            “Come on in.” Patrick smiled and walked them both inside. “We just finished up practice, so we can head up to one of the VIP suites to eat. They can bring us food from wherever.” Patrick said, keeping his arm around Amanda.

            “I’m up for whatever.” Amanda smiled.

            “Ditto.” Evan added, looking around at the arena while they walked down the hallway.

            “Well let’s go up to the suite and we’ll figure it out from there, okay?” Patrick smiled. “I’m gonna grab my phone really quick, I’ll be right back.” He said.

            “Okay.” Amanda smiled and leaned against the wall, standing with Evan.

  Patrick disappeared into the dressing room, and as soon as the door shut, it opened again. Andrew walked out in a red Blackhawks shirt and some athletic shorts. He looked at Amanda and a smile instantly formed on his face.

            “Hey, you came.” He smiled.

            “Yes I did.” She smiled and hugged him. “How was practice?” she asked.

            Andrew hugged her back and smiled. “It was great.” He said and stepped back, looking at Evan. “I’m Andrew, Amanda’s friend.” He said, holding his hand out.

            “Evan, I’m also Amanda’s friend.” Evan smiled and shook his hand.

            Andrew nodded and smirked at Amanda. “I’ll see you in the stands right?”

            “Of course.” She smiled.

            “Good.” He smiled. “I’ll see you later.” He said and walked down the hallway.

            Patrick came out of the dressing room and smiled. “Ready?”

            “Ready.” Amanda smiled.

  Patrick smiled and led Amanda and Evan up to one of the VIP suites that looked over the ice. They sat down on one of the couches and talked after ordering some food from a local Italian restaurant. They all ate and talked, and Amanda felt less and less nervous about the game. Once they finished eating, Amanda helped Patrick clean up the mess. All three of them headed back down to the dressing room so Patrick could get changed. When they got to the door, Patrick smiled at Amanda.

            “Wait right here, I’ve got a surprise for you.” he said and walked into the dressing room.

            Amanda looked at him and then at Evan, who shrugged his shoulders.

            Patrick stuck his head out and smiled, waving her over. “Okay the coast is clear, come in here.”

            Amanda smiled and walked over, entering the dressing room with him. “What’s this about?” she asked.

            Patrick pointed to his cubby where there was a Sharp jersey on a hanger, dangling above the bench. “Surprise.” He smiled.

            Amanda looked and then smiled up at him. “Your jersey?” she asked.

            “Yes, but also your jersey.” He smirked. “You can’t attend a game without a jersey.” He said.

            Amanda’s eyes widened and she looked back at the jersey. “That’s mine?” she smiled.

            “Try it on.” He smiled.

            She walked over and ran her hand over the patch on the front, before she slid her red shirt off, still in her tank top. She pulled the jersey over her head and adjusted it so it wasn’t bunched. It went just past her butt, and the sleeves were about a centimeter too long, but she didn’t care one bit. She smiled a wide grin and looked up at Patrick. “It’s perfect.” She smiled.

            Patrick smiled and nodded. “You look good in a number ten.” He winked.

            Amanda smiled and walked over, hugging him tightly. “Thank you so much, Patrick.” She said softly.

            “You’re welcome.” He smiled, hugging her back. He kissed the top of her head and smiled down at her. “I have to get ready now. Are you okay, anxiety-wise?” he asked softly.

            She smiled up at him and nodded. “I’m fine.” She said. “Thank you for all of this.” She said.

            “Anytime.” He smiled. “So do I get a kiss for luck?” he winked.

            Amanda smiled and leaned up, kissing his cheek gently. “Good luck out there.” She said.

            Patrick smiled and nodded. “Thank you.” he said and hugged her again.

  Amanda hugged him back and went to the stands with Evan. Their seats were with the rest of the families, and Amanda chatted with Lindsey while they waited for the game to start. Once the teams came out onto the ice to do some warmups, Amanda turned back to the ice and smiled seeing Patrick skating around. She felt butterflies as she watched the players skating around; she was finally at a Blackhawks game. She took a few pictures with her phone and giggled as Andrew and Jonathan did their famous jump. Before the team skated back into the dressing room, Patrick waved to Amanda and she returned the gesture.

  Once the anthem was in the books, the game started. Amanda had watched all of the games on TV, but there was something so much better about being at a game, even if it was an away game. She still felt the energy of the fans sitting around her. Six minutes into the game, Bishop was out of the net, and crashed into one of his teammates. Patrick took the empty net opportunity and put the Blackhawks on the board. He smiled and skated around the net, making sure to skate towards the glass where Amanda was and point at her, winking. Amanda cheered for Patrick and when he skated over, she smiled at him, giving him the thumbs up.

  After the first period, Amanda talked with Evan and Lindsey for a little while until her phone started to ring. She looked down and saw Patrick’s picture on her screen, so she smiled and answered.

            “Hello?” she said.

            “Hey, can you hear me?” he asked.

            “Yeah I can hear you.” she smiled. “That goal was amazing.” She said.

            “Well good, I scored it for you.” Patrick smirked.

            “Sure.” Amanda teased.

            “I just called to make sure you were doing alright.” Patrick said.

            Amanda smiled and felt butterflies again. “I’m doing just fine.” She smiled. “Thank you for checking up on me.”

            “I’m glad.” He smiled. “I gotta get back in there. I’ll see you after the game, okay?”

            “Okay. Good luck out there.” She smiled.

  Amanda and Patrick both hung up the phone and waited for the second period to start. In the second period, one of the Lightning players scored, tying the game. During the third period, Antoine Vermette scored in the first two minutes, putting the Blackhawks in the lead. The score stayed the same all the way up until the final seconds, when the Blackhawks took the win, putting them in the lead 3-2 in the series. Amanda and Evan were on their feet with the rest of the fans. After the team went into the dressing room, Amanda got a text from Patrick.

            ‘ _Come down to see me.’_ It said.

            Amanda smiled and looked at Evan. “Patrick wants me to go down and see him.” She said.

            “Alright, I’ll go wait in the car. If he ends up taking you to the hotel, just text me, okay?” Evan said.

            “Okay.” She smiled.

  Amanda hugged Evan and walked with him to the team area. Evan walked out to the car while Amanda went to the dressing room. She didn’t want to just walk in, so she got her phone out to text Patrick. Before she could open the texts, the door opened and Duncan Keith walked out.

            “Hey.” He smiled.

            “Hey, great game.” Amanda smiled.

            “Thank you.” he said and high-fived her. “Everyone’s dressed now, so you can go in there to see Sharpy.” He smiled.

            “Oh, okay. Thank you.” she smiled.

  Duncan walked down the hallway and Amanda walked into the dressing room. The guys were all excitedly talking about the game, and Patrick had his back to the door, talking to Brandon Saad. Brandon looked at her and she put her finger to her lips. He smirked and continued his conversation.

            She walked over and gently pinched Patrick’s sides, standing behind him.

            He turned around and smiled down at her. “Hey, you.” he smiled and hugged her tight.

            She hugged back, not caring how sweaty he was, and smiled. “You did amazing out there.” She smiled.

            Patrick smiled and pulled back, but stayed close to her. “Thank you.” he smiled. “I think you’re my good luck charm.” He winked.

            “Maybe I am.” She joked.

            “Then she better be at the game on Monday.” Brandon teased.

            Patrick smiled down at Amanda. “Are you coming to the game on Monday? When we win, we’ll take the cup on home ice.” He said excitedly.

            “I would not miss that for the world.” She smiled. “I’m glad I got to come tonight.”

            “I am too.” He smiled. “Our flight leaves pretty early tomorrow, so I’ve gotta get some rest, otherwise I’d be taking you out for ice cream.”

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “Well we’ll have some after Monday’s game.” She joked.

            “For sure.” He smirked and rubbed her cheek gently. “I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow, okay?”

            “Definitely.” She smiled. “Goodnight, Patrick.” She said and hugged him.

            He hugged her tight and smiled. “Night, Amanda.” He said and kissed her forehead.

  Amanda smiled and said bye to the other players before she walked out to the rental car where Evan was waiting. She got in the car and they rode to the hotel, then went to their rooms. Amanda packed her bags and got ready to go the next morning. Coach Q gave Patrick permission to fly home with Amanda and Evan the next day. Amanda got her pajamas on and crawled into bed. Before she fell asleep, her phone went off with a text message; it was from Patrick.

            _‘Sorry for being so quick earlier, we just had to get out of there earlier than normal. I’m really glad you came, and I can’t wait for Monday. Sweet dreams! See you tomorrow.’_ He sent.

            Amanda smiled and sent a text back. _‘I understand completely. I’m not going to get mad at you for doing your job. I’m glad I came too! Monday is going to be crazy. I’ll see you tomorrow too. Night!’_

  She put her phone on the bed next to her and fell asleep. The next day, she and Evan met Patrick at the airport and got on the plane home. They were home in just a few hours and they all went out to brunch. Amanda and Patrick couldn’t stop talking about the game on Monday. She would be more excited if she knew what was going to happen after the game.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reliving the Stanley Cup final to write this chapter was amazing! This might also be the longest chapter I've written, but I had to fit a lot in! :D

            On Monday morning, Amanda decided that she was going to surprise Patrick at practice. She got on a pair of jeans and a white tank top with a red, short-sleeved flannel shirt over, buttoning it halfway up. She slid her gray vans on and went to her car, driving to the arena. When she pulled up, she sent a text to Andrew to let her know that she was there.

            _‘Don’t tell Patrick! I’m here to surprise him, can you come let me in?’_ she sent and waited.

            After about ten minutes, Andrew replied. _‘I’m on my way. We’re on break now.’_

  Amanda smiled and got out of her car, walking over to the door. The door opened and Andrew stood there in his practice gear and smiled at her, holding his arms open.

            “There’s a toll.” He joked.

            Amanda smiled and hugged him. “How’s practice going?” she asked him.

            “It’s going great.” Andrew smiled and let her inside. “I think Sharpy’s still out on the ice.” He said, walking her down the hallway.

            “Okay, I’ll go out there and find him.” She smiled. “Thanks for sneaking me in.”

            “No problem.” He smiled and headed into the dressing room.

  Amanda walked down the hall and out by the player’s benches. Sure enough, Patrick was skating a few laps around the ice, and hadn’t seen her yet. He had a few pucks out on the ice and did a few different things to make the goals. When he was all finished, he took his helmet off and pushed his hair back, looking at the net.

            “I hope you save some of that for the game tonight.” Amanda smiled, standing by the wall in front of the bench.

            Patrick looked over at her and smiled, skating over to her. “Hey.” He said excitedly. He came through the small door and hugged her tightly. “I didn’t know you were coming here.”

            Amanda hugged back and smiled. “That’s why they call it a surprise.” She teased. “I just wanted to come say hi and maybe get some lunch with you.” she said.

            “That would be great.” He smiled. “After practice we can go get something to eat.” He said.

            “Great. I’ll wait for you out here.” She smiled and sat down on the bench while the other players started to come back out from their breaks.

  Patrick smiled at her and went back out onto the ice to practice. After another hour, the team was dismissed and Amanda waited in the hallway for Patrick to shower and change. When he came out, she walked him to her car and drove to Lou Malnati’s. They walked in and got a booth, each sliding in to sit.

            “Any particular reason you picked this place?” Patrick smirked.

            “Well, it’s the first place we hung out, so I thought maybe the good memories would bring you some extra good luck.” Amanda smiled.

            Patrick smiled and nodded. “You are such a sweetheart, you know that?” he said, leaning back.

            “I try.” She teased. “Are you excited for tonight?” she asked.

            “Excited and nervous at the same time.” He smirked. “It’ll be good though because you’ll be there and we win when you’re there.”

            “You win without me too.” Amanda smiled, blushing.

            “But it’s not as good of a win.” Patrick teased.

            “If you say so.” She smiled and ordered her lunch with him.

  The two talked over their lunch about the game that night and about other various things. When they finished, Patrick paid and walked out to the car with Amanda. She drove him to his house so he could relax before the big game. She hugged him goodbye and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before he went inside.

  When she was sure that he was inside, she drove back home so she could get ready for the game as well. She changed into a pair of black jeans and her Sharp jersey, putting her hair down and curling it slightly. She slid her Blackhawks beanie on and came downstairs to wait until she had to leave. She bounced her leg slightly, trying not to get nervous about the game. She knew that there would be people she knew there, but she was going by herself since Evan had to work. As she got up to get her shoes, her phone started ringing as if on cue.

            “Hello?” she asked, not checking the picture.

            “Hey Panda.” Evan’s voice spoke on the other line. “How are you holdin’ up?” he asked.

            Amanda smiled and sat on the couch to get her shoes on, putting her phone on speaker. “I’m doing alright, kind of getting nervous though.” She said.

            “I know you’re nervous, but you’re going to be totally distracted by dreamy Sharp.” Evan teased. “Plus if you need to, you can call me. I might not answer right away, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

            “I know.” She said. “You’re the greatest, you know that?”

            “Yeah, I’ve been told.” He smirked. “Listen, a big party just came in to watch the game. I’ll look for you on T.V, especially after the game when they hoist the cup.”

            Amanda smiled and picked her phone up after she laced her boots. “I’ll try to call you after the game, okay? If not, I’ll call you when I get home.”

            “Sounds like a plan, hun.” Evan smiled. “Have fun tonight, okay? You deserve it.”

            “I will. Bye Evan.”

            “Bye.” He hung up.

  Amanda put her phone in her pocket and shoved her ID and debit card in her other pocket. She took a deep breath and drove over to the arena for the game. She parked in the team lot and walked in their entrance, down the long hallway. Some of the other families were there already, wishing luck to their husbands or boyfriends. Amanda walked over to Lindsey who was standing by herself. The two young ladies talked to one another as they waited for the guys to come out.

            Jonathan walked out of the locker room and smiled to both girls. “Hello ladies. Can I borrow Lindsey for a moment?” he asked sweetly.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “She’s all yours.”

  Jonathan walked down the hall with his girlfriend, talking to her about the game. A few minutes later, Patrick came out and looked for Amanda. When he saw her, he smiled and walked over to her, giving her a bear hug.

            “I’m so glad you’re here.” He smiled. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?” he asked her, looking down at her.

            Amanda smiled up at him and nodded. “I’m doing alright. I was a little nervous before I left, but I’m okay right now.” She said.

            Patrick nodded and rubbed her cheek gently. “Well if you need air or anything, I’ll understand, okay? I don’t want you to feel trapped.”

            “I know.” She smiled. “You’re going to absolutely kill it out there.” She smiled, changing the subject.

            He smirked and nodded. “Because you’re here.” He winked. “When we win and after they give us the cup, Lindsey said she’ll walk down to the ice with you so you don’t get lost or anything. It gets pretty crazy.”

            “Okay, cool.” She smiled. “I’ll be sure to get pictures of you holding the cup when you win.” She said.

            “Sounds good.” Patrick smiled and heard Coach Q calling the players in for the pre-game talk. “I gotta head back in there, but I’ll look for you okay?”

            “Okay.” She smiled. “I’ll see you when you win.”

            “Yes you will.” He smiled and kissed her head.

  Amanda hugged him again before he headed into the dressing room with the other players. Lindsey walked back over and walked Amanda to their seats in the family section of the stands.

  After the anthem was in the books, the game started and Amanda watched the game intently. The energy of the crowd was insane, even though there were no goals by the end of the first period. During the second period, Amanda and Lindsey cheered with the rest of the arena as Duncan Keith scored a goal. The energy of the crowd got even better when the Hawks were in the lead, and Amanda’s nerves were replaced by pure adrenaline and excitement. There were a couple of close calls, but the Lightning couldn’t make a goal. Almost fifteen minutes into the third period, Patrick Kane made a goal, ensuring that the Hawks would win the Stanley Cup. Amanda and Lindsey were on their feet along with Patrick’s girlfriend, Amanda, and the rest of the Hawks fans. They stayed standing until the end of the game when the crowd went wild! Crawford threw his mask off and was ambushed by his teammates. Amanda cheered at the top of her lungs with the rest of the crowd, high-fiving everyone around her. The excitement that filled the room was incredible, and as the team celebrated on the ice, Lindsey leaned over to Amanda.

            “We better head down now before the crowds start coming down here.” She said.

            “Okay.” Amanda smiled, walking towards the VIP entrance with Lindsey and the rest of the families.

  The fans started crowding the glass around the ice and Amanda made sure to thank Lindsey for getting her out of the crowd before it got too crazy. They walked to the tunnel and stood by the doorway until they were all given the signal to head out onto the ice. Amanda’s heart raced as she watched each player skate around with the cup. As Patrick got the cup and skated around, the families were told to go out on the ice. Amanda walked out onto the ice with Lindsey, who searched the crowds for Jonathan. Patrick handed the cup to Andrew and skated over to Amanda with a big smile on his face.

            “We did it, baby!” he yelled, which was barely audible over the crowds.

            Amanda smiled and held her arms out. “I knew you could do it!” she said excitedly.

            Patrick skated over and hugged her tightly. “I couldn’t have done it without you, Manda.” He smiled.

            “Keep tellin’ yourself that.” She smiled, hugging him back. When he pulled away, she looked up at him. “Congratulations, Sharpy.” She smiled.

            “Thank you.” he said. “But there’s something I want more than the cup tonight.” He smiled.

            “What’s that?” Amanda asked, smiling up at him.

            “This.” He said and cupped her face in his hands, pressing his lips against hers in a loving, but excited kiss.

            Amanda’s hands went to his wrists and she kissed back, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. When they both needed air, she looked up at him and smiled, unsure of what to say, if she was even able to speak.

            “I’m sorry that was so spur of the moment, but I’ve wanted to do it since the third or fourth time we hung out.” He smiled down at her. “Well, truthfully, I wanted to do it since we first met, but I didn’t want to scare you off.”

            Amanda shushed his rambling by kissing him again, before looking up at him with a smile. “I’m glad you did that.” She said. “What a place to have our first kiss, right?” she smiled.

            Patrick nodded and smiled, rubbing her cheek. “Right.” He smiled and hugged her tight, spinning her around. He set her down gently and smiled at her. “I have to go do some interviews, but you are more than welcome to come with me.” He said, holding her hand gently.

            “I would love to.” She smiled and laced her fingers with his, walking next to him towards the sea of reporters.

  Patrick held her close while he talked to the reporters and photographers, making sure she was comfortable. He couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the win or the kiss. While he talked to the interviewers, he held Amanda close to him, sneaking gentle pecks here and there, as he was finding it impossible to stay away from her. Amanda looked up at him in admiration as he answered the questions, looking down at her from time to time. Whenever he caught her gaze, he would give her a wink or a smile which melted her heart.

  After all the craziness died down a little, the team went to the dressing room to celebrate. Amanda and the rest of the families waited in the hallway to be reunited with their player. After a little while, the team started to trickle out of the doors, and Amanda waited for Patrick. When he walked out, he was showered and dressed in a Blackhawks shirt and a pair of athletic shorts. His hair was wet and pushed back, and he put his Stanley Cup champion hat on his head.

            He spotted Amanda and smiled, walking over to her and kissing her gently. “Hello, beautiful.” He smiled.

            She kissed back and smiled. “Hey champ.”

            Andrew walked over with his champion hat on backwards and smiled. “Hey, most of us are headed to the bar to celebrate; they’ve got a room reserved for us. Are you guys coming?” he asked, smiling.

            Amanda looked at Patrick who smiled at her and then looked at Andrew.

            “I would love to, but I actually had something else planned for us tonight.” Patrick smiled.

            Andrew nodded and gave Amanda a big, champagne-filled hug. “I’ll see you at the parade, right?”

            Amanda giggled as she hugged him back. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

            “Awesome.” He smiled and walked off down the hall, singing ‘We Are The Champions’ by himself.

            Patrick laughed and looked down at Amanda. “Ready?”

            “I think so.” She teased, smiling at him.

  Patrick smiled and put an arm around her shoulders, walking her out to the parking lot and to her car. He had ridden to the arena with Kane, so he didn’t have his car with him. When they got to her car, he offered to drive and got into the car with Amanda. He held her hand the entire drive and made small talk with her while they drove. Amanda’s face lit up when she saw where they were; a local ice cream shop.

            “I told you that we would get ice cream.” Patrick smiled, reminding Amanda about the game in Tampa.

            “You did.” She smiled. “You’re blowing off celebrating with your team to have ice cream with me?” she asked.

            “I’d much rather have ice cream with you, hun. Come on, we’ll take it to go.” He smiled.

  They walked inside and ordered their favorites, getting back into the car and driving to Patrick’s house. He walked her inside, carrying his bag on his shoulder. When they got inside, he put the bag on the floor by the stairs and set the ice cream on the coffee table. Amanda got her shoes off and put them by Patrick’s before she headed to the couch.

            “Wait, let’s get something comfy on.” Patrick said.

            “I don’t have any clothes here.” She said.

            “Borrow some.” He smirked. “I have plenty.” He said and kissed her gently before leading her upstairs.

  She grabbed one of his team shirts and a pair of his boxers to put on as pajama shorts. She put them on and slid the shirt on, folding her clothes and bringing them downstairs, setting them on the recliner. Patrick was already on the couch with a big blanket, the ice cream waiting for her on the table.

            “You look cuter in those than I do.” Patrick smiled.

            Amanda blushed and smiled, walking over and sitting next to him. “If you say so.” She said and put the blanket over their laps, eating her ice cream. “So has it all set in yet?”

            “That I kissed the most beautiful girl in the world today?” Patrick asked, looking over to her while trying to keep a straight face.

            She smiled and nudged his arm gently. “That you won the Stanley Cup.” She said.

            He smiled and nodded. “I don’t think it fully sets in until the next season starts, to be honest. It’s all so surreal, even the third time.”

            She nodded and smiled at him. “I’m so proud of you, Patrick, I really am.”

            “Thank you.” he smiled over at her. “I’m glad you got to be with me along the way.” He said sincerely.

            “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” She smiled.

  They finished their ice cream and Amanda cleaned up the wrappers and garbage. She came back and sat on the large couch, snuggling underneath Patrick’s arm. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled the blanket over them both, kissing her head gently. She lay next to him on the couch, resting her head on his chest. Both of them just lay there, enjoying each other’s company and letting the adrenaline exit their bodies. Before she knew it, Amanda had dozed off on Patrick’s chest, snuggled against him. He smiled down at her and sat up slowly, carrying her upstairs to his room. He lay her on the bed and turned the light off before he climbed under the blanket with her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

            Amanda woke up and looked over to him, turning to face him. “Did I fall asleep?” she asked tiredly.

            Patrick smiled and nodded, rubbing her back gently. “It’s okay, it was a long day. Get some sleep okay, sweetie?”

            Amanda scooted closer to him, nuzzling her head under his chin. Before she closed her eyes, she leaned up and kissed him gently. “Goodnight, champ.” She smiled softly at him.

            He kissed back and smiled. “Goodnight, babe.” He smiled and held her close to him, closing his eyes.

  Amanda dozed back off wondering if her nerves before the game were because she partially hoped that a kiss would happen. While she still tried to process it all, she was just glad that it happened; she was finally feeling like things were getting more serious. Patrick fell asleep thinking about the cup, but thinking about the kiss more. He didn’t tell Amanda this, but he had made a pact with himself before the game; if they lost, he would wait until their next day, but if they won, he was going to kiss her. Lucky for him, the odds were in their favor.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Wednesday night, the night before the parade, Amanda stayed the night at Patrick’s. They had spent most of Wednesday watching movies and playing video games, just enjoying each other’s company. Ever since the championship game, Amanda and Patrick had been inseparable. They had spent every day together and would alternate whose house they stayed at. They figured it would be easier for Amanda to stay at Patrick’s house the night before the parade, so they could just go from there. Things were really starting to come together, and this day of movies and games was a perfect “non-date”.

  After the fifth round of Mario Kart, Amanda yawned and leaned back, setting her controller next to her on the couch. She rubbed her face and looked over at Patrick who had a smirk on his face.

            “What?” she smiled.

            “I know you’re not getting tired on me, Miss Roberts.” He smirked.

            “I’m just preparing myself for tomorrow, that’s all.” She said.

            Patrick set his controller on the coffee table and leaned back by her, turning to face her more. “What’s on your mind, babe?” he asked, setting his hand on hers.

            “I’m just kinda nervous about tomorrow. I have no idea what to expect.” Amanda admitted, looking at her hands.

            He smiled softly and kissed her shoulder gently. “Well we’re going to be on a big double decker bus, and we’re going to drive downtown past big crowds of people.” He started. “Then we’ll go to Soldier Field for the rally where we’ll talk and show off the Cup and all that good stuff.” Patrick explained. “I’ll be by your side the entire time, except at the rally because I’ll have to be on stage, but Lindsey and everyone will be there for you.”

            Amanda looked up at him and smiled. “You are too sweet to me, Patrick.”

            “I try.” He winked. “Are you worried about anything?” he asked, rubbing her cheek gently.

            “What’s it all like? Is it a long parade?” she asked.

            “It’s really red.” Patrick smiled. “Jerseys everywhere, and pom-poms too; it’s not very long, it’s kind of fast. We just drive by and wave to everyone and then we go to the rally which is red too.” He smiled.

            She nodded and smiled. “I’m excited to cheer you on.” She said. “Do the families ride on top with you guys or do they stay at the bottom?” she asked.

            “They ride on top with us. There are usually a few busses to carry us all, and we’ll see who we’re riding with tomorrow.” He said.

            Amanda nodded. “I’ve never been on one of those busses before.” She said.

            Patrick smiled and shook his head. “You didn’t have Chicago style pizza before me, you had never been to a game, and you haven’t been on one of those busses?” he smirked.

            Amanda giggled and nodded. “I guess.”

            “What would you do without me, Manda?” he asked with a smirk on his face.

            “I have no idea, Sharpy.” She teased and smiled up at him. “We better get some sleep, we’ve got an early morning.”

            “Yes we do.” He smiled and kissed her gently. “Let’s go.”

  They both picked up their controllers and put everything away before heading upstairs to go to bed. Both of them fell asleep fairly fast, both excited for the next day.

  Thursday morning came quicker than expected, and Amanda and Patrick were both waiting at the United Center for the parade to get started. Patrick had grey shorts on with his jersey and Amanda had on white shorts on with her Sharp jersey on. Patrick put his championship hat on backwards and walked over to Amanda, handing her one.

            “Here you go.” He smiled and put it on her head backwards.

            “This is really mine?” she asked, smiling.

            “Of course it’s yours. Wear it proudly.” He winked.

            “I will.” She smiled and hugged him. “Thank you.”

            “No problem.” He smiled, hugging back.

  The other players wandered around and Patrick walked over to the managers to find out what bus he was riding on with Amanda. While Amanda was waiting for him to come back, she felt two arms wrap around her shoulders from behind, pulling her into a tight embrace.

            “Well, hello.” She smiled, laughing softly.

            “You came.” Andrew’s voice spoke from behind her.

            “Yes I did, I told you I would.” She smiled and turned around to give him a proper hug. “How has your week been?” she asked.

            Andrew hugged her back and smiled. “It was great, I celebrated with some friends and relaxed. How about you? I feel like I haven’t seen you or Sharpy all week. Are you guys a thing now or something?” he smirked.

            A pink blush covered Amanda’s cheeks as she smiled. “Well, I don’t know. I mean we kissed at the game and we’ve spent all week together, but we haven’t really made anything official.”

            Andrew’s smile seemed to drop as Amanda spoke. He tried to cover it before she saw him. “Oh that’s cool.” He said. “Well I’m happy for you both. You make him really happy.” He said and forced a smile.

            She looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you; that means a lot.” She said sincerely. “He makes me happy too.” She added.

            Patrick walked over and wrapped his arm around Amanda’s shoulders. “Looks like we’re riding bus A.” he said.

            Andrew looked and nodded. “Me too.” He said.

            “Well maybe we can all sit together.” Amanda smiled.

            “Sure.” Andrew said. “I gotta go get my jersey, I’ll see you guys in a bit.” He said and walked off.

            “So are you ready?” Patrick smiled.

            “I am.” Amanda said.

            “Okay, well when we walk out to the busses in a few minutes, the players usually say hi to the fans that are outside, Lindsey said she’ll walk to the bus with you to get you situated and then I’ll be up there.” Patrick explained.

            Amanda nodded. “Okay that sounds like a plan.” She smiled.

            “Good.” He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Let’s go.”

  The players all stood in a group waiting to exit the United Center so they could greet the fans that waited outside. Lindsey stood with Amanda and the rest of the wives and girlfriends and waited for the okay to get to the busses. When the doors opened, the players went to the fans while the girls went to the busses. Amanda followed Lindsey to bus A and climbed to the top. They both sat down and Amanda took a few pictures on her phone.

            “Have you ever been on one of these?” Lindsey asked, sitting in the seat in front of Amanda.

            “Nope.” She smiled. “Patrick gave me a hard time about it last night.”

            “Well it’s about time! These things are really cool. Plus, we’re high enough so the crowds shouldn’t be too much for you.” Lindsey smiled.

            “Well good.” Amanda smiled.

  Patrick Kane came onto the bus along with Jonathan, Andrew, and Patrick. Duncan, Brent and Marian Hossa got on the bus last, filling up the seats. Patrick walked over to Amanda and sat next to her, kissing her gently.

            “Are you ready?” he smiled.

            “Ready.” She smiled back.

            “Let’s get this show on the road.” Patrick said and waved to fans as the busses took off.

  The parade wasn’t very long, but it seemed to last longer to the team and their families. The players all waved and smiled for pictures, making sure to face every direction so people could see them. Amanda took pictures and talked with Lindsey while the busses went by, and Patrick got some pictures with Amanda on the parade route.

  When the busses pulled up to Soldier Field, Patrick held Amanda’s hand and walked her off of the bus. The players all waited to go out on the stage and talked amongst themselves while they waited. Patrick stood by Amanda the whole time to make sure she was okay, and while they started calling out players, he held her hands in his.

            “I’ll be right up there, okay?” he said.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “I know, I’ll be okay.” She smiled. “I’m too excited to be nervous.” She said.

            Patrick smiled and kissed her gently. “I’ll be back in a bit.” He said and headed on stage when they called his name.

  Amanda watched as he gave his mini speech and smiled uncontrollably the whole time. She really liked him a lot, and she was so proud of him. How did she get so lucky? While Amanda was admiring Patrick, she felt a nudge on her arm, so she turned to see Lindsey standing next to her.

            “So you and Sharpy are pretty cozy, huh?” she smirked.

            Amanda smiled and felt the blush again. “I guess.” She said.

            “Well good for you guys. Are you guys an official item yet?” Lindsey asked.

            “I don’t know.” Amanda said. “I mean we’ve kissed and spent the whole week together, but we haven’t really talked about it.”

            Lindsey nodded. “Well maybe he’s taking things slow. I know he really cares about you and doesn’t want anything to go wrong.” She smiled. “Try talking to him later on.” She said.

            Amanda nodded and smiled. “Thanks.” She said.

  After the rally, the players went off to celebrate again at various bars. Patrick knew that the bar scene wasn’t really a favorite of Amanda’s, so he invited Seabrook and Kane to go to dinner with him and Amanda.

  On the way to the restaurant, Amanda bit her bottom lip and looked over at Patrick. This was the perfect time to bring it up, but something told her to wait. She went to dinner with him and the others and afterwards, Patrick drove her back to her house so she could do laundry or get a change of clothes.

  Amanda walked in with Patrick and set her bag down. She decided that it was now or never and she got up enough courage to ask him.

            “Patrick, can I ask you something?” she asked, turning to face him.

            Patrick nodded and smiled. “Sure honey.” He said.

            She nodded and sighed. “I don’t want you to think I’m mad or anything, and I’m not trying to push anything on you, but I was wondering where we’re at?” she asked, talking faster than she intended.

            “Where we’re at? Like you and I?” he asked, walking over to her.

            Amanda nodded. “Are we an official item?” she asked shyly.

            He smiled and shrugged some. “I haven’t really thought about it to be honest. Everything with the game happened and it was craziness.” He said. “Where do you want us to go?” he asked. “Your opinion is just as important as mine, sweetheart.” He said and rubbed her cheek gently.

            She smiled softly. “I don’t know either. I mean I want to be with you…I mean I think I do.” She said. “I mean not that I don’t want to be with you, I’m just scared that I’ll mess things up or do something wrong.” Amanda blurted out.

            Patrick cupped her face in his hands and kissed her nose gently. “Hey, listen to me.” He said softly. “Nothing you ever do could messing anything up, and you can’t do anything wrong in my eyes.” He said. “Okay, if you decided to rob a bank, I’m not sure I could stand behind you on that one.” He said to try and make her smile.

            Amanda smiled softly and nodded. “It’s just a new thing and it’s scary. I mean it’s exciting and I want to be with you, but it’s also scary.”

            “I understand that completely. I want nothing more than to be with you too, and this week has been incredible. But if you’re nervous and want to take things a little slower, we will do that. I want to make sure that you are comfortable and happy, Manda.”

            “How are you even real?” she whispered, looking up at him.

            “We went over this, my mom and dad loved each other a lot, remember?” Patrick smiled.

            Amanda smiled and laughed softly, nodding. “Let’s keep doing what we’re doing and we’ll worry about labeling it later? Maybe after your day with the cup and everything because I know that will be a crazy time.” She said.

            Patrick smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. “That is a wonderful idea.” He said. “You’re a very mature young woman, you know that?” he asked.

            She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and smiled. “Thank you.” she said.

            “So if we’re doing the same thing we have been doing, we can keep kissing right?” Patrick smirked.

            “Definitely.” Amanda smiled.

            “Then this works for me.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss her gently.

            She kissed back and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you for being so understanding and patient with me.”

            Patrick hugged her back and smiled. “Thank you for being patient with me. Being with a hockey player isn’t so easy.” He said.

            “Well lucky for me, I like a challenge.” Amanda smirked and looked up at Patrick.

            “Lucky you indeed.” He smiled and kissed her gently. “Let’s get changed.”

            “Okay.” She smiled and headed upstairs to shower and change.

  Patrick decided to stay at her house that night and the pair had ice cream and watched the stars on Amanda’s back patio. She felt a big weight lifted off of her shoulders by talking to Patrick. He was absolutely fine with keeping things the way they were, as long as he got to stay with her. At this point, he couldn’t imagine life without Amanda, and she couldn’t imagine life without him. She was just glad that she still had some time to feel things out…well at least she thought.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

            It had been a few weeks since the championship game, and Patrick and Amanda were doing better than ever. Amanda went with Patrick to his hometown for his day with the Cup, and got to meet his family back home. They all loved her, and she was more than relieved to know that no one had a problem with her age; they saw how happy she made Patrick, and that was all that mattered. They ended up spending the weekend in Canada, staying at a local hotel. On their last day of being there, Patrick’s family cooked dinner for everyone as a farewell meal to Patrick and Amanda.

  After everyone finished eating, they all went outside to sit around the fire pit. Amanda sat next to Patrick on the outdoor loveseat, handing him his beer. He smiled up at her and kissed her cheek gently.

            “Thank you, love.” He said, putting his arm around her when she sat down.

            “You’re welcome.” She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, watching the fire.

  Patrick talked with his parents and his brother about his plans for the summer, while Amanda watched the fire, lost in her thoughts. She really was enjoying this, being with Patrick. His family was incredible to her, and she really started to see herself spending the rest of her life with him. While she watched the fire, her thoughts trailed to their current situation; just being without a label. She knew that it was her suggestion, but she started wishing she could just call him her boyfriend, and let him call her his girlfriend. Maybe it was time to start getting more serious with all of this.

  Amanda was pulled from her thoughts when she heard her name being brought up in the conversation.

            “Hmm?” she asked, looking at Patrick.

            Patrick smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. “Mom just asked if you were going to come visit with me during the summer.”

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “Of course; if you’ll all have me, I’ll definitely come with.” She said, looking at his mom.

            “We would love to have you, Amanda.” His mom smiled.

Amanda smiled and looked up at Patrick who was yawning, trying to hide his tired eyes. “Someone’s gettin’ tired.” She teased.

Patrick smirked down at her and nodded. “I am.” He said. “Are you ready to head back to the hotel?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s pretty late.” She said, sitting up on the loveseat.

  Patrick stood up with Amanda and they said their goodbyes to his family before driving to the hotel. When they got to the room, Patrick laid back on the bed, letting out a dramatic yawn. Amanda giggled and walked over to the bed, sitting next to him.

            “Were they serious about me coming with you this summer?” She asked.

            Patrick looked up at her and smirked. “Of course they were serious. They really like you, babe.” He said, taking her hand in his.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “Okay.” She said and bit her bottom lip. “Hey, I was kind of thinking about us.” She said.

            “I was too.” He smiled up at her and kissed her hand gently. “You tell me first.”

            She took a deep breath. “I know that I said I wanted to wait a bit longer to become official, but I think I might be ready.” She said softly.

            Patrick smiled and sat up to meet her gaze. “Yeah?” he asked softly. “I’ve been thinking the same thing.” He said, touching her cheek gently. “But I don’t want to rush you into anything okay?”

            Amanda nodded and kissed his palm gently. “How about we figure it out when we get back home?” she suggested. She knew that she most likely wanted to just make it official, but she was still nervous.

            “That sounds perfect.” He said and kissed her gently. “We’ve got an early flight tomorrow, so let’s get some sleep okay?” He said and pushed her hair back gently.

            “Okay.” She smiled up at him. “You’re the best, you know that?” she said softly.

            “I know.” Patrick winked, smirking. “Let’s get pajamas on.” He said and got up off of the bed.

  They both for their pajamas on and curled up on the bed, falling asleep almost instantly, Patrick’s arms around Amanda’s waist.

  The next morning when they both woke up, they got their bags and headed to the airport. While they waited for their flight to board, Patrick got them each a bagel and something to drink. He walked back to where Amanda was and handed her a bottle of grape juice and her bagel. She smiled up at him and ate with him while they waited to board.

  Their flight number was called and they headed to the gate to get on the plane. When they got to their seats, they put their seatbelts on and waited to take off. Patrick noticed that Amanda looked a little nervous, so he reached over and held her hand in his.

            “Just focus on me, okay? Focus on my funny face.” He smirked.

            Amanda looked up at him and smiled, letting out a soft laugh. “You do not have a funny face.” She said.

            “What about now?” he asked and crossed his eyes, puffing his cheeks out.

            Amanda giggled and nodded, lacing her fingers with his. “Okay, that’s pretty funny.”

            Patrick smiled and nodded at her. “And somehow, you still accept me, funny face and all.” He winked.

            She smiled and nodded. “You bet.” She teased and kissed him gently. “Thank you.”

            Patrick returned the kiss and smiled. “For what?”

            “Doing things like this, calming me down and keeping me sane.” She said.

            “Well that’s my job as your man.” He smiled.

            She smiled and nodded. “My man.” She repeated and rested her head on his shoulder. “I like the sound of that.” She yawned.

            “Me too.” He said and kissed her head gently before resting his cheek there.

  Amanda dozed off on Patrick’s shoulder and slept throughout the flight. When they landed, he woke her up and walked with her to get their bags. Patrick held her hand as they walked to the cab that he called to pick them up. They were taken to Amanda’s house and both walked inside, setting their bags down.

  Patrick gathered all of their dirty clothes and did a load of laundry while Amanda made some lunch for the two of them. While she cooked the bacon for the BLT wraps she was making, she heard Patrick’s phone going off. She looked over her shoulder and then called down the hall to the laundry room.

            “Patrick, your phone is ringing.” She called, getting the bacon out of the pan and onto a plate.

            Patrick came into the kitchen and smiled at her. “They can wait.” He smiled and walked over. “I am so thankful that I get more cheat days on the off-season.” He said and wrapped his arms around Amanda’s waist from behind.

            She smiled and nodded. “I am too. I’m better at cooking bad foods.” She teased.

            “I think you’re great at cooking everything.” Patrick said and kissed her cheek. “Do you want me to assemble the wraps?” he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

            Amanda smiled and nodded. “That would be very kind of you.” She said.

            “Alright, I’ll go get my chef jacket.” He joked and washed his hands before he began assembling the wraps.

            Amanda set two spots on the table and heard Patrick’s phone go off again. “Are you sure that’s not important?” she asked.

            “It’s probably nothing; it might be Tazer wanting to hang out or something.” He said. “Do you wanna check it and see?” he asked.

            “Sure.” She said and went into the living room to get his phone. She walked into the kitchen again and looked at his phone. “Stan called, and then Coach called.” She said, and before she finished her sentence, the phone rang again. “And now it’s Andrew.”

            Patrick furrowed his brow. “Maybe there’s a meeting coming up or something.” He shrugged.

            “Well shouldn’t you call them back?” Amanda asked.

            “Nah, I’m still technically on vacation today. I’ll call them back later.” He said and smiled over to her, holding two plates in his hands. “Let’s have lunch.” He said.

  Amanda smiled and set his phone on the counter next to hers and got some drinks for the two of them. On her way back to the table, her phone started ringing which made Patrick chuckle.

            “Sorry.” She said and looked at the screen. “It’s Andrew.” She said.

            “Alright, it’s gotta be serious if they’re bugging you too.” Patrick said with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.” He said.

            “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. I’ll find out what the deal is.” She said and set the glasses down, picking her phone up afterwards. “Hello?”

            “Hey, are you with Patrick?” Andrew asked.

            “Yeah we just flew in a little bit ago, we’re having lunch. What’s up?” she asked.

            “Stan and Coach are trying to get ahold of him. Can you have him call when you’re finished eating? It’s really important, they really need to talk to him.” Andrew said.

            “Sure, yeah, I’ll tell him.” She said.

            “Okay, thanks Amanda. Glad you got home okay, too.” Andrew smiled.

            “I’m glad too.” She smiled. “I’ll talk to you later.”

            “Okay, bye.” He said and hung up.

  Amanda got the two glasses and walked over to the table, setting one in front of Patrick and setting the other in front of her plate. She sat down and looked up at Patrick before she spoke.

            “Andrew wants you to call coach or Stan, he said it’s really important.” She said.

            Patrick made a face. “What could be so important?” he asked, mostly to himself. “Do you mind if I call them back?”

            “No, not at all. Go call them before they send out a search party.” Amanda smiled.

            “Thank you.” he said and got up, kissing her head gently.

  Patrick took his phone off of the counter and headed into the living room to call Stan back. Amanda didn’t want to pry, so she played a few games on her phone while she waited. After a few minutes, Patrick came back into the kitchen and sighed, kneeling next to Amanda’s chair and taking her hands in his.

            “What’s up?” Amanda asked, looking down at him.

            “They want me to come in for a meeting, it’s pretty serious.” Patrick said. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go to the office.” He said.

            She smiled and kissed his forehead gently. “Go ahead.” She said.

            “I’m so sorry sweetheart, I want to stay here with you, believe me.” Patrick said, rubbing her hands. “I’ll make it up to you.”

            “Patrick, don’t be sorry. This is your job and if it’s serious you need to go.” She said and smiled. “Take your wrap with you so you can eat.” She said.

            Patrick smiled and leaned up to kiss her gently while he stood up. “You’re the best.” He said and grabbed his plate to take with him. “I’ll call you later when our meeting is done.” He said and kissed her again. “Thank you again, I owe you.”

            Amanda kissed him back and smiled. “You don’t owe me anything, hun. Just be safe and let me know when you get done.” She said.

            “I will.” He smiled. “I’ll see you later.” He said.

  Amanda smiled and watched as Patrick went out to his car, which he had left at Amanda’s house over the weekend. When he left, Amanda ate her wrap and then cleaned up from lunch. She finished the laundry and got Patrick’s clothes all together for him when he got back. While she waited for Patrick’s meeting to be over, she contemplated what to do about her and Patrick and if they should become official. She decided to invite Evan over to talk with her about it while she waited for Patrick to be done. Maybe he would have some insight on what to do.  

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the first chapter! Hopefully it wasn't too long or anything, and I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Feedback is definitely welcome!


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